In brief
Coalition strikes killed nine detainees in an Al-Hazm prison and two civilians in Al-Jawf, alongside six civilian deaths in Mokha.
Donald Trump opted not to order B-52 strikes following appeals on 20 September 2026 from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Rashad al-Alimi.
An estimated 100,000 Houthi fighters took control of key points along the Bab el-Mandeb strait, disrupting Saudi maritime energy transit.
Foreign ministers at the UN General Assembly on 21 September 2026 called for an immediate cessation of attacks on civilian shipping.
- 20 SeptDonald Trump declines Saudi and Yemeni leadership requests for direct US airstrikes.
- 21 SeptG7 foreign ministers issue a joint statement at the UN demanding an end to maritime attacks.
- 22 SeptSaudi strikes hit Al-Jawf and Mokha as two days of fighting leave 154 dead.
Airstrikes and casualties across northern and western Yemen
Coalition airstrikes led by Saudi Arabia struck multiple locations across Yemen between Monday and Tuesday, resulting in civilian and detainee deaths. In the Al-Batin area of Al-Hazm within Al-Jawf province, strikes killed a mother and child while injuring her husband and two other children. On Monday evening, a separate attack on a detention facility in Al-Hazm killed nine prisoners captured during recent clashes. Houthi prison official Abdelkader al-Mourtada confirmed the facility had been struck directly by coalition aircraft.
“Nine prisoners captured during recent events were killed yesterday evening when the Saudi enemy targeted a prison.”
Further west in the port city of Mokha in Taiz province, airstrikes killed six civilians, including two children and a woman, and wounded eight others. Fighting between pro-government forces and Houthi fighters killed 154 people between Monday and Tuesday alone.
Diplomatic appeals and Washington's restraint
Following a Houthi strike on Riyadh on Saturday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi placed direct telephone calls to US President Donald Trump on Sunday, 20 September. Both leaders urged Washington to conduct military strikes against Houthi forces to halt their rapid advance across Yemen. American B-52 strategic bombers were placed on standby but received orders to remain grounded after Donald Trump decided against intervention. The administration maintained intelligence sharing and in-country military advisors while completing a 24-billion-dollar sale of 50 F-35 fighter aircraft announced the previous week.
United States Central Command chief Brad Cooper met Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah last week to discuss ongoing regional operations. The United Kingdom agreed on Tuesday to provide in-flight refuelling and logistical support to Saudi aircraft, while France offered defensive assistance to secure the East-West pipeline corridor and the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
Strategic chokepoints and international economic risks
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations convened on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, demanding an immediate end to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. The ministers affirmed solidarity with both Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government, warning that interruptions along maritime routes threatened global energy supplies and supply chains for food and fertilizers.
“Their wrongful actions constitute a dangerous escalation trajectory that risks further exacerbating the conflict, harming international trade, and creating global economic instability.”
The Houthi advance placed approximately 100,000 fighters across key positions along the Red Sea coast, securing control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait within a ten-day period in early September. The disruption severely affected Saudi crude exports navigating toward the Suez Canal, compounding shipping bottlenecks after Iran restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Regional alliances and mounting humanitarian displacement
In a televised address on the twelfth anniversary of the capture of Sanaa in 2014, Houthi leader Abdelmalik al-Houthi issued warnings to Pakistan and Turkey against intervening on Riyadh's behalf. The two nations had signed a tripartite joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia on 7 August 2026, establishing mutual defense commitments in the event of an attack.
“We advise the Turks and Pakistanis not to let themselves be drawn in by the political and material gains of the Saudi enemy.”
The renewed offensive shattered a fragile United Nations ceasefire in place since late 2022, forcing more than 130,000 people to flee their homes in Yemen and sending approximately 3,000 refugees across the Gulf of Aden to Djibouti. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees projected that 230,000 displaced Yemenis and 10,000 refugees in Djibouti will require humanitarian assistance over the coming months.
- Displaced in Yemen
- 130000 people
- Refugees in Djibouti
- 3000 people
- Projected aid needed in Yemen
- 230000 people
- Projected aid needed in Djibouti
- 10000 people
Data from the article text