Saudi military base. Fighting between the Iran-backed group and Saudi-backed government forces resumed in July when the Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea. A week-long Houthi offensive culminated in the group seizing Yemen's Red Sea coast, strengthening its control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait—a vital artery for Saudi oil exports, especially with the Strait of Hormuz closed amid the US-Iran war. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi forces carried out 58 airstrikes in 24 hours. The Houthis launched their heaviest missile and drone attack in years this week, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73. Almasirah TV reported Saudi strikes on Saada, Monabbih, and Al-Jawf province. The Houthis claim over one hundred strikes since Tuesday, with no confirmation from Riyadh. Strikes have mainly targeted front lines supporting Yemeni government forces, sparing Houthi power centers like Sanaa. Riyadh rarely comments on Houthi attacks but issues near-daily alerts for southern regions. The Houthis said they struck the Sharurah military base with drones and missiles. Recent fighting has displaced nearly 86,000 people, up 10,000 in a day, per the IOM; over 2,000 have fled to Djibouti. Yemen's civil war, which began in 2014, has killed hundreds of thousands and caused a major humanitarian crisis. Axios reported Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman twice asked Trump to strike the Houthis last week, but was rejected. (Bssnews)