Major flare-up in Yemen leaves nearly 130 dead

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• Houthis attempt to tighten hold over Red Sea as Hormuz crossings plunge sharply • Trump says strait ‘not very necessary’ once pipelines are built • US strategic petroleum reserve hits 44-year low • US president says he wants to leave after ‘big win’ in Iran war SANAA: As tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East amid the ongoing US-Iran war that has plunged Hormuz crossings sharply, Yemen’s Houthis launched a major offensive against military forces in a bid to tighten their hold over the Red Sea, with a death toll of nearly 130 in the country’s deadliest clashes in years, sources on both sides confirmed. The Bab al-Mandab chokepoint has gained increased importance, with Iran’s closure of Hormuz, as one of the busiest shipping lanes connects the Red Sea — and, via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean — to the Indian Ocean. A Yemeni military official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that 66 of his men had been killed, while medical and military sources close to the Houthis said at least 62 militants had died. Fighting erupted on Thursday, after the Houthis launched a ground assault along with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas, vying for complete control of the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait at the Red Sea’s southern entrance. Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, in July became the latest country to be drawn into the Middle East war as the Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government. The Houthis are now trying to tighten their hold over the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, which they have disrupted with attacks on passing vessels since the Gaza war broke out in 2023. The Houthi offensive aims to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha, under fire for weeks, and advance towards areas bordering the Bab al-Mandab, military sources said. Positions near Red Sea They have already seized elevated sites overlooking government positions near the Red Sea and the city of Taiz further inland, a military source and a Taiz official disclosed on condition of anonymity. The Houthis could target ships from these elevated positions, they said. The toll rose to 129 on Friday, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources, up from an earlier count of 81. Although the Houthis do not control areas bordering Bab al-Mandab, they hold the key port city of Hodeida north of Mokha. “They are going for Bab al-Mandab,” said Mohammed al-Basha, of the US-based risk advisory Basha Report. The Houthis want to control the hills overlooking Bab al-Mandab and Mokha before attacking the coast, said a Yemeni official in Aden, the government’s base since it was ousted from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The government has sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden on Saudi orders, he said. “The Houthis feel that if they capture Bab al-Mandab or Mokha port they will be in a better position of power to negotiate with the government and the Saudis,” Basha added. Hormuz crossings plunge sharply On the other hand, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has sharply declined over the past 72 hours, with only four vessels entering and exiting the waterway on Thursday, reported shipping monitor, Kpler. “Four vessels entered the Middle East Gulf and one exited, using a mix of Iranian, Omani and negotiated routes,” the monitor stated. “The figure remains preliminary, as additional ‘dark’ crossings may be retrospectively identified and added as new confirmation data becomes available.” Iran has maintained its control over traffic in Strait of Hormuz since the joint attack launched by the United States and Israel on the country in February, while Washington claims naval blockade of Iran with American forces redirecting at least 87 commercial vessels. ‘Hormuz not necessary anymore’ US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the construction of pipelines was making the Strait of Hormuz “not very necessary anymore”. Oil prices are on course to gain more than six per cent for the week as the United States and Iran resume military exchanges in the seventh month of their conflict, according to Reuters. On the other hand, US strategic petroleum reserve is at a 44-year low due to the Iran war. Anadolu reports that the US’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen to 286.6 million barrels — its lowest level since 1982. Since the US launched its war on Iran, 30 per cent of the 415m barrel stockpile have been lost. ‘US wants to leave after big win’ US President Donald Trump has told reporters that his country has “essentially taken over Iran” through military operations. Asked about when the Iran war would be resolved, President Donald Trump says he does not know, and that the US “already won the big thing” and that he wants to leave. “If we left today, it would take them 25 years to rebuild their country. But I want to leave so the next president doesn’t have to worry about it,” he said. Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2026

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