Black Smoke Seen Near Riyadh amid Air Raid Alerts in Saudi Arabia • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 19, 2026 | ⁠Flames and plumes of smoke were ⁠seen rising near ⁠Riyadh airport this afternoon with flights cancelled and delayed. This as fighting between Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels has killed 48 people in recent hours. The rebels staged a lightning offensive this month, seizing swathes of territory in Yemen and launching a barrage of missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia. Details and analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editor, Jamie Smith-Maillet.

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Des flammes et de la fumée noire visibles près de l'aéroport de Ryad, de nombreux vols annulés ou retardés

LE FIGARO : Les habitants de Ryad avaient été réveillés dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche par une alerte de risque d’attaque suivie de deux fortes explosions, une première dans la capitale saoudienne depuis la reprise des affrontements avec les Houthis du Yémen.

Des flammes et de la fumée noire sont visibles dans les environs de l’aéroport international de Ryad, ont indiqué samedi à l’AFP deux habitants de la capitale d’Arabie saoudite. « On a vu de la fumée noire et des flammes vers l’aéroport », a rapporté l’un d’eux, tandis que le site spécialisé Flightradar24 y a signalé des « perturbations majeures ». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 19 septembre 2026

Houthis Claim Biggest Advancement This Year in Yemen | BBC News>

Sep 18, 2026 | Iran-backed Houthi rebels have made significant gains in Yemen on the Red Sea coast, impacting Saudi Arabian exports and contributing to the continued price of a barrel of oil at above $100.

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the Islamic holy city of Mecca on Tuesday evening, according to the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said attacks on Mecca and Medina province, where Islam's second holiest shrine is located, constituted an "unacceptable and intolerable transgression".

Meanwhile, the US has allowed Iranian officials to attend the UN General Assembly next week in New York. The delegation will take part in the United Nations General Assembly's grand debate for 2026, but will face strict travel restrictions whilst they are in the country.

Will the Houthis Tank the Global Economy? | BBC News

Sep 16, 2026 | Over the last week, the Houthis - an Iran-backed militant group in Yemen - have captured two strategic islands along the Red Sea coast, consolidating its control of a key international shipping route known as the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Saudi Arabia has relied on access to the strait for exporting its oil to customers in Asia. With the Strait of Hormuz already closed due to the Iran war, the Houthis’ control of this vital waterway threatens to deepen the global oil supply crisis.

Tristan Redman is joined by the BBC’s Security Correspondent Frank Gardner to unpack who the Houthis are, what they want, and how they have come to hold so much influence on the world’s economy.

Iran-backed Houthis Claim Major Advance in Yemen | BBC News

Sep 11, 2026 | Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a major advance on the western Red Sea coast, consolidating their grip on the key international shipping route.

The Houthis earlier said they posed no threat to international shipping but reiterated their threat to target vessels from Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, leaders from 11 Brics nations - including host India, China, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, the UAE and Iran, with Saudi Arabia attending as an invited member - will hold talks this weekend in Delhi on a wide range of issues.



ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:

Houthis Seize a Key Red Sea Island, Threatening Another Global Oil Route: The militia captured the island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a choke point for trade. Saudi Arabia also announced it had shut down a critical oil pipeline after a drone attack launched from Iraq. »

Houthis Gain 'Absolute Control’ of Crucial Shipping Route | Iona Craig

Sep 11, 2026 | “It’s in the interests of both the Houthis and Iran for this to be happening.”

The Houthis have made their most significant territorial gains in Yemen since 2021, and now have effective control over a crucial shipping route, says The Times’s former Yemen correspondent Iona Craig.

Saudi Arabia Under Attack? Houthis Claim Major Strikes | The Palki Sharma Show | India Global Review

August 20, 2026 | Yemen's Houthis are claiming to have killed 'hundreds of Saudi soldiers' and destroyed dozens of Saudi warships. Though the kingdom has not responded to this claim, its refineries and oil tankers have been hit by Houthi drones since last month. Is this the end of Yemen's truce? How will Saudi Arabia respond? Palki Sharma tells you.

Houthis Threaten to Expand Red Sea Attacks, and Claim Strike on Saudi Tanker

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Saudi Arabia has not commented on the claim by the Houthis, who are backed by Iran and have vowed to close “all access routes” to Saudi oil shipments.

The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia in Yemen, said Wednesday that they had struck a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea, and they threatened to intensify attacks there in an effort to close “all access routes” to Saudi oil shipments.

The Houthi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said the group had fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi tanker called Wafa near the Saudi port city of Yanbu, though he did not say when the attack had occurred. The Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Houthis’ claim.

The Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi shipping last month. The territory they control in Yemen is near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow waterway that leads into the southern end of the Red Sea.

The group claimed on Wednesday to have attacked eight ships linked to Saudi Arabia since the blockade. The strikes have forced some shipping companies to reroute to the northern part of the Red Sea. The group’s latest threat suggested that it would pursue Saudi tankers there also, in waters heading toward the Suez Canal, another crucial artery for global trade. The global oil price, after two days of declines, jumped 1 percent on Wednesday, to about $80 a barrel. » | Euan Ward and Ismaeel Naar | Euan Ward reported from Beirut, Lebanon, and Ismaeel Naar from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.| Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Bab El-Mandeb, l’autre détroit qui menace d’étrangler le pétrole mondial

LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Suite à une frappe sur un pétrolier saoudien, les rebelles houthis imposent un blocus naval à Riyad en mer Rouge. Après Ormuz, verrouillé par Téhéran, un second goulet d’étranglement se referme sur le brut saoudien.

En mer Rouge, tout s’est noué en une dizaine de jours. Les rebelles yéménites houthistes ont pris prétexte de bombardements menés par l’Arabie saoudite contre l’aéroport de Sanaa, sur fond de dispute autour d’un avion iranien, pour frapper en riposte l’aéroport d’Abha, première attaque visant le sol saoudien depuis 2022. Lundi, ils ont décrété un « blocus naval » contre le royaume. Jeudi, ils sont passés à l’acte en visant deux pétroliers saoudiens. Riyad a confirmé un incendie à la proue de l’un d’eux. Au moins neuf navires ont fait demi-tour près du détroit de Bab al-Mandab, où le trafic se contracte.

Restés jusqu’ici en marge de la guerre américano-iranienne, les houthistes sont une milice pro-iranienne issue des hauts plateaux du nord du Yémen. Après avoir repris la capitale Sanaa, en 2014, elle est en guerre depuis 2015 contre une coalition conduite par Riyad. À la suite d’une escalade avec les Saoudiens, l’Iran se sert de son allié pour rappeler qu’il possède un autre moyen de pression : le détroit de Bab al-Mandab. Le procédé est rodé : en 2023, après les attaques du 7 Octobre et les bombardements déclenchés en représailles par Israël contre la bande de Gaza, les houthistes avaient déjà harcelé le trafic marchand. » | Par Rémi Monti | jeudi 23 juillet 2026

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Iran-Backed Houthis Expand Conflict With Red Sea Blockade

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The move against Saudi ships will add new pressure on energy markets. Tehran said it had received new proposals from mediators.

The Houthis, the Iran-backed armed faction in Yemen, said they would impose a blockade on Saudi ships, threatening to open a new front in the Middle East conflict and raising the pressure on volatile global energy markets.

The announcement was made as many in the region were tensely watching to see if the rounds of bombardment between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf would continue to escalate. The two countries traded new attacks on Monday, with Iran targeting countries that host U.S. military bases, despite efforts by mediators to calm tensions.

The latest hostilities initially focused on the Strait of Hormuz, but they have expanded into a cycle of attacks and counterattacks that have killed at least three American service members since Friday, hit Arab states across the Persian Gulf and damaged critical infrastructure in Iran and U.S.-allied Kuwait.

Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has reduced global fuel supplies, pushing prices upward, but Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, has been able to reroute some of its exports through the Red Sea. If the Houthis follow through on their statement that they will not allow Saudi vessels to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern portal to the Red Sea, it would worsen the global fuel crisis. Iran War Live Updates » | Aaron Boxerman, Ismaeel Naar, Sanam Mahoozi and Yan Zhuang | Monday, July 20, 2026

The master of the 'Art of the Deal' has got himself into a real fix with this illegitimate and unnecessary Iran War, hasn't he? He's in a fix, and so is the global economy. — © Mark Alexander

Iran War Escalates as Houthis Attack Israel as Trump's War Enters Second Month

Mar 31, 2026 | Yemen’s Houthis have launched a missile strike against Israel. It was the first time the Tehran-backed militia had intervened in the U.S.-Israeli-led war against Iran, which has entered its second month.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Iran War Escalates as Yemen's Houthis Attack Israel and Threaten Red Sea | BBC News

March 28, 2026 | Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a wave of missiles and drone strikes against Israel. The group said in a statement that it had targeted "sensitive Israeli military sites" and vowed to continue such attacks. Israel said it had shot down two missiles coming from Yemen.

The entry of the powerful Iranian proxy into the conflict raises fears of further disruption to the world economy as the armed group has capacity to attack shipping in the Red Sea. The vital shipping route is being used by some tankers as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed with strikes on commercial vessels.

Israel said it was prepared for a “multi-front war" and would strike back. In the United States there have been mass protests against the war, but President Trump has insisted the fight will continue against Iran.

Israel’s assault in Southern Lebanon is continuing, with more than 1,100 civilians reported to have been killed there since the start of recent hostilities.
Ben Brown presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Joe Inwood, James Waterhouse and Hugo Bachega.


Bab-el-Mandab »

The Arabic name Bab el Mandab means Gate/Gateway of lamentation/grief/tears. Under the prevailing circumstances of war, this could very well be a very apt name for the strait, methinks! — © Mark Alexander

Houthi Forces Enter Iran Conflict with Missile Attacks on Israeli Military Sites

THE GUARDIAN: Escalation represents dangerous spread of war and brings threat of even more damage to the global economy

The US-Israeli war with Iran has expanded with the entry of Houthi forces in Yemen, representing a dangerous spread of the conflict and bringing with it the threat of more damage to the global economy.

Pakistan has said it would host a meeting of Middle Eastern powers on Monday in an effort to find a regional approach to ending the conflict. But the talks, which bring together the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, did not appear to include any of the warring parties, casting further doubt on persistent US claims of diplomatic progress.

Houthi forces, close allies of Iran, said on Saturday they had fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at “sensitive Israeli military sites” and that they would continue military operations until the “aggression” came to an end on all fronts. Israel said it had intercepted one missile originating in Yemen.

Despite US claims to have devastated Iran’s military, Reuters cited intelligence sources as saying Washington could only be certain it had destroyed a third of Iran’s missile and drone arsenal.

US media reported that a missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia wounded at least 12 US soldiers, two of them seriously. Drones also struck Kuwait international airport on Saturday, causing significant damage to its radar system. » | Julian Borger | Senior international correspondent | Saturday, March 28, 2026

Houthis Condemn Deadly US Bombardment of Yemen as a 'War Crime' and Promise Retaliation | DW News

Mar 16, 2025 | US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US will continue its military campaign in Yemen until Houthi rebels no longer have the capacity to strike ships in the Red Sea. Rubio also insisted there was no way Houthis could attack vital shipping lanes without Iranian support. On Saturday, the US launched deadly airstrikes on Sanaa, killing more than 30 people and injuring 100.

Les houthistes, des rebelles yéménites devenus d’incontournables acteurs du Moyen-Orient

LE MONDE : ENQUÊTE Le mouvement insurrectionnel – qui contrôle désormais la portion la plus peuplée du pays – s’est imposé dans le jeu régional à la faveur de la guerre opposant Israël au Hamas. Les attaques de navires en mer Rouge, qui menacent cet axe mondial du commerce et défient les Etats-Unis, ont révélé son pouvoir de nuisance.

En lançant son offensive meurtrière sur Gaza après les massacres perpétrés par le Hamas, le 7 octobre 2023, Israël redoutait l’ouverture d’un second front, au nord, sur un théâtre d’opérations familier et prompt à s’enflammer. Depuis les violents affrontements de l’été 2006 opposant l’armée israélienne aux combattants chiites du Hezbollah libanais, les escarmouches entre ces deux ennemis historiques n’ont jamais cessé autour de la « ligne bleue » qui sépare le Liban et l’Etat hébreu – deux pays officiellement en guerre depuis 1948. » | Par Gilles Paris et Madjid Zerrouky | dimanche 21 janvier 2024 [€]

Peter Hitchens: Britain Is No Longer a Great Power

Jan 15, 2024 | “British politicians seem to think that we’re still the great power, when we’re not.” Peter Hitchens discusses UK strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Conservative Party’s electoral prospects on TimesRadio.

Houthis Strike a Russian Oil Ship

Jan 13, 2024 | “The Houthis are doing it in part to push their own domestic and regional interests.” Houthis are striking “random” ships to give themselves a stronger position in the war in Yemen, Gregg Carlstrom tells Times Radio.

Is the Economy Facing Another Energy Price Shock?

BBC: Both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden cited the global economic impact of Houthi attacks on Red Sea cargo ships in overnight statements as the reasoning behind military action.

The Treasury has modelled scenarios suggesting that disruption in the Red Sea could further shrink the UK economy, risking a recession.

The main fear in the Treasury's analyses is of a rise of at least $10 per barrel in the international price of crude oil and a 25% increase in the price of natural gas.

Rises such as these have not actually materialised, so far, mainly because of the actions of Saudi Arabia - the major oil producing nation - in soothing global energy markets with price cuts.

The US and UK will hope that their overnight strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels will help reverse widespread delays and disruption to Red Sea trading routes, by re-establishing safe passage through the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait into the Suez Canal.

But, on the other hand, there is now also a clear pathway of escalation to a wider Middle East conflict. » | Faisal Islam, Economics editor | Friday, January 12, 2024

Houthi Attacks Mark the Beginning of Conflict over the Red Sea and the Gulf

Jan 12, 2024 | “It's very clear that they are part of a much wider strategy from Iran to sow chaos in the near abroad.” Houthi attacks mark the “beginning of a protracted conflict over the Red Sea and the Gulf”, says Politico’s correspondent Gabriel Gavin.

After US and UK Strikes against Houthis – Fears of Escalation in Middle East Become Real | DW News

Jan 12, 2024 | The United States and Britain have carried out military strikes against targets in Yemen in retaliation for Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis and the group's backer Iran have condemned the strikes. The US and the UK say the action is aimed at protecting international trade routes. For more on this, we talk to Frank Ledwidge. He's a senior lecturer in strategic studies at Portsmouth University and a former British military intelligence officer. And we talk to Elisabeth Kendall. She is a Middle East expert at Girton College, part of the University of Cambridge.