Conflict in West Asia is simmering again, with fighting intensifying in Yemen as Houthi rebels advance into Saudi-controlled areas including the strategic oil- and gas-rich Marib province and the city of Taiz, while Saudi Arabia faces growing pressure to respond.
Houthi rebels were advancing towards government strongholds in Marib and Taiz, according to Al Jazeera, raising concerns about a renewed offensive.
Marib remains one of Yemen’s most strategic government-controlled areas since the conflict escalated in 2015, with major army bases, oil and gas fields, a key power station and more than two million displaced people.
Amid reports that the Houthis are massing forces around Marib, Yemeni government forces have said they are ready to defend the province from any renewed offensive.
Brigadier General Yahya Al-Hatemi, director of military media for the Yemeni army, told Arab News that government forces have gained significant combat experience from more than a decade of fighting and are ready to repel any attempt by the Houthis to advance into Marib.
“The armed forces as a whole have become more organized, powerful and effective,” Al-Hatemy said.
He added: “Over the past decade, they have accumulated combat experience that has allowed them to overcome difficulties, master military tactics and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.”
Yemeni media reported over the weekend that the Houthis had sent large numbers of fighters and military equipment into areas of Marib province under their control, raising fears of preparations for a new offensive.
The buildup reportedly follows major Houthi successes on Yemen’s west coast, including the capture of the Red Sea port city of Moha and an advance towards the Bab al-Mandab region.
Al-Hatemi said the Yemeni army was aware that Marib could become the Houthis’ next big target. “We know that new pressure will be directed towards Marib,” he said.
However, he said government forces had enough strength and support on the ground to counter any renewed Houthi offensive.
“However, Marib has significant military power and divine protection. Moreover, the Houthis do not have a popular support base there. Quite the opposite: the local environment is hostile to them,” Al-Hatemi said.
These events also put Saudi Arabia in a difficult position. The Houthis’ rapid advance in Yemen and attacks on Saudi Arabia have left the Gulf kingdom with few response options, each of which carries high costs, according to CNN.
The key message coming out of Riyadh is that Saudi Arabia does not want all-out war, experts say, but the Houthis’ bold behavior could nonetheless drag the Gulf state into the wider conflict. “All signs now point to large-scale Saudi retaliation, and that likelihood is increasing every day,” Mohammed Al-Basha, a Yemen and Washington expert and DC-based risk consultant, told CNN.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that as of Sunday (local time), 101 commercial vessels had been diverted to the US Navy into the strait.
The United States renewed its blockade of Iranian ports in July after negotiations between Washington and Tehran broke down.
During his two-day visit to Ireland on September 12, US President Donald Trump, speaking with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin during a joint press conference at Farmley House, spoke about the role of Iran, the Houthis and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked about Iranian involvement, Trump said he believed Tehran was likely responsible and noted that the Houthis had contacted Washington to make clear they did not want confrontation with the United States. “I think they probably want to.
They’re on their feet now, but I think that’s it. They’ve been responsible for this for some time now. We had discussions.
The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us. They let us know. They don’t want to fight with us. They don’t want me to follow them.
They don’t want us to follow them. But they called and talked to us and they don’t want us to do it. They’d rather we weren’t involved,” Trump said.
Turning to commercial vessel traffic through the waterway, Trump said most vessels are still allowed passage, while noting that the United States is taking action against vessels it deems problematic. “And they let most of the ships through.
There’s only one country they’re not too happy about, and we’ll deal with it right away. But I have to say we did a great job here,” he said.
Trump also highlighted the US military’s control of the strategic waterway and its naval blockade, saying Washington’s actions prevented a sharper rise in oil prices. “We really have a lot of control over our most direct one, and no one saw this happen.
But we have very powerful control over this. We have such an incredible naval blockade,” he said. Explaining the scale of the US naval operation, Trump said US forces were intercepting a significant number of ships every day.
“Well, your oil prices would be a lot higher. We take out a lot of boats. We take out an average of 25 boats a day, most of them at night,” he said.
In addition to concerns about disruptions in the strategic waterway, preliminary ship tracking data cited by Al Arabiya English in a Facebook post on September 10 showed that the number of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven from 12 the previous day, a level also below the 10-day average (14).
The latest developments highlight how renewed fighting in Yemen increasingly intersects with a broader confrontation involving Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States, raising fears that further advances or attacks by the Houthis could trigger a broader escalation across West Asia.
Published September 14, 2026