The ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran has widened into a larger regional war, reigniting a civil war in Yemen and a decadelong conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
Over the past few weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis — an extremist political and military organization that controls the capital and large swaths of Yemen — have escalated their attacks by launching drones and missiles at international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and targets in Saudi Arabia.
In a telephone call with Fox News, President Donald Trump said Sunday the U.S. was in constant communication with the rebel group and said that the Houthis had so far agreed not to fight the United States. The president added that he was in “deciding mode” on what to do in the larger war with Iran.
@Hey_Itsmyturn/X via AFP via Getty Images – PHOTO: Black smoke and flames rose near Riyadh’s international airport as Yemen’s Houthis announced they had carried out strikes on targets in the Saudi capital and coastal oil facilities, September 19, 2026.
Last week, Trump said the Houthis had called the U.S. and “they don’t want to fight with us.” “They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through,” he said.
Despite these public assurances, Trump reportedly came close to ordering military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen this weekend after Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman urged Trump to intervene, but Trump called off the planned strikes at the 11th hour, according to the New York Times, which cited several Trump administration officials.
According to the report, the planned U.S. strikes were halted at a late stage, when military commanders had already approved target lists, troops were loading bombs onto aircraft selected for the operation and the first wave of attacks was close to beginning.
Osamah Abdulrahman/AP Photo – PHOTO: Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels raise their rifles during a rally in support of the group and to protest Saudi Arabia’s accusation that the Houthis targeted Islam’s holiest site of Mecca, in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept. 18, 2026.
The Houthis and the ‘Axis of Resistance’
The Houthis are backed by Iran and align with groups like Hezbollah and Hamas in opposition to Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis describe themselves as an anti-imperialist force and the rebel group has stated that it fights against the interference of the U.S., Israel and Western-aligned powers in the Middle East.
Their ongoing military actions in the region have given Iran notable strategic leverage in the Middle East.
Houthis’ Yemen gains put control of strategic strait, key cities in focus
In 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition and launched a military intervention against the Houthi movement to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government after the Shiite-led group stormed the country’s Sunni-majority capital to seize political power, control territory and pressure regional rivals.
Since then, the Saudi-led coalition has enforced a tight naval and air blockade on northern Yemen in areas controlled by Houthi groups. The United Nations brokered a truce between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in 2022, which temporarily halted large-scale fighting.
2026 Vantor/AFP via Getty Images – PHOTO: A pumping station along the general route of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline in al-Mesabaah, southeast of Medina, September 13, 2026, following an attack and resulting fires on September 11, 2026.
In the spring of 2025, the Houthis, angered by the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel and the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, began attacking commercial and U.S. naval vessels.
The U.S. military bombed the Houthis for more than 50 days to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The Houthis fought back and shot down several American drones, and they continued to fire at naval ships in the Red Sea, including an American aircraft carrier.
The U.S. and the Houthis now maintain a fragile ceasefire brokered in May 2025.
The Houthi-Saudi conflict has escalated sharply
The Houthis, now emboldened by the regional turmoil due to the U.S. and Iran conflict, have focused their renewed ire on Saudi Arabia in direct retaliation for the kingdom’s military intervention in Yemen.
Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi gave a televised speech Monday during which he outlined the Houthis’ grievances with Saudi Arabia, going into detail about the Saudis’ involvement in the Yemeni civil war.
“Saudi arrogance is unacceptable and the Saudi regime is an occupying power,” Al Houthi said.
Saudi Press Agency via AP – PHOTO: Firefighters inspect damage to a building caused by falling debris from a drone that Saudi authorities said was launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and intercepted over Taif province, western Saudi Arabia, Sept. 17, 2026.
He accused Saudi Arabia of escalating the conflict earlier this summer when it bombed the Yemeni capital’s airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing there.
“Our people have confronted the renewed Saudi escalation with airstrikes and ground mobilization, responding to the siege with a siege and the escalation with escalation,” al-Houthi said, arguing that the group’s actions were uniquely reactive.
Last week, the Shiite rebel group sharply escalated its attacks by launching missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, including one that targeted Riyadh on Saturday before being intercepted. Saudi officials said debris from a Houthi drone also killed one civilian and injured others.
The Houthis have also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.
Adding to the regional volatility, gas and diesel prices have soared in recent days because of vital oil pipelines in the crosshairs.
ABC News’ Victoria Beaule contributed to this report.