Archive · 18 Sep 2026
Saudi Arabia and Houthis Exchange Strikes as Yemenis Flee
Fighting has spread between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group in Yemen.
Both sides have reported attacks against each other.
Saudi Arabia said falling drone pieces killed one person in Taif.
The Houthis said Saudi planes attacked places in Yemen and claimed to have destroyed a Saudi fighter jet.
Many Yemeni families have had to leave their homes.
Some people crossed the Red Sea in small boats to reach Djibouti.
The journey was dangerous and frightening for them.
A tanker also caught fire near the Strait of Hormuz after Iran said it was hit.
These events could make it harder for oil and fuel to reach other countries.
Saudi Arabia reported that drone debris killed a Yemeni resident in Taif, the first death it has announced from recent Houthi attacks.
Houthi-controlled television reported Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah province and near Taiz, while the Houthis said they had shot down a Saudi F-15.
More than 100,000 Yemenis have been displaced, with some crossing the Bab el-Mandeb by boat to Djibouti.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a Togo-flagged oil tanker caught fire after being hit near the Strait of Hormuz.
The fighting has raised concerns about global oil supplies as routes through both the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz face disruption.
- Who
- Saudi Arabia, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Yemeni civilians, and other regional and international actors.
- What
- Saudi Arabia and the Houthis exchanged strikes, civilians fled by boat, and an oil tanker caught fire near the Strait of Hormuz.
- When
- Thursday, September 17, during fighting that had intensified the previous week.
- Where
- Across the Saudi-Yemeni border, including Taif, Hajjah, Taiz, the Red Sea, Djibouti, and the Strait of Hormuz.
- Why
- The Houthis said they were resisting Saudi blockade, occupation, and attacks; the fighting also spread amid the wider Middle East war.
Houthi Claims and Demands
Saudi Reports and Actions
Cause of the fighting
Houthi Claims and Demands
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said Saudi Arabia should end its blockade and occupation of Yemen and stop its attacks.
Saudi Reports and Actions
Saudi Arabia reported intercepting Houthi drones and said debris from one interception caused a death in Taif.
Military claims
Houthi Claims and Demands
The Houthis said Saudi Arabia had carried out hundreds of airstrikes and claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet.
Saudi Reports and Actions
Houthi-controlled television reported Saudi airstrikes, while Saudi authorities announced the interception of a drone; the competing military claims were not independently resolved in the article.
International military support
Houthi Claims and Demands
The Houthis previously agreed to a ceasefire with the United States after Washington bombed the group for two months.
Saudi Reports and Actions
Saudi Arabia sought US military support against the Houthis, but Donald Trump rebuffed those requests.
- Reported Saudi death
- Saudi Arabia said a Yemeni resident was killed by debris from an intercepted drone in Taif.
- Reported injuries
- Saudi Arabia had previously reported more than 80 people wounded in repeated Houthi attacks.
- Displacement
- The International Organization for Migration said more than 100,000 Yemenis had been displaced by the latest fighting.
- Civilian escape route
- Yemenis crossed the Bab el-Mandeb by small boats to reach Djibouti.
- Tanker incident
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a Togo-flagged oil tanker caught fire after being hit during what it called an illegal passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Oil prices
- Global crude prices remained above $100 a barrel, while the average US retail diesel price reached nearly $6.40 per gallon.
- US position
- Donald Trump rebuffed Saudi requests for military support against the Houthis.