{"id":2543,"date":"2026-08-13T23:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T23:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2543"},"modified":"2026-08-13T23:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T23:38:49","slug":"iran-backed-houthis-clash-with-yemeni-forces-and-other-mideast-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2543","title":{"rendered":"Iran-backed Houthis clash with Yemeni forces and other Mideast developments"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Clashes between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces in Yemen raged overnight and into Thursday, raising fears that the country\u2019s civil war could reignite and open another front in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Read more Poland says it thwarted a Russian plot to kill an American citizen in Warsaw<\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war<\/span> and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Yemeni soldier killed in clashes with Houthis<\/h2>\n

At least one government soldier was killed and another critically wounded in clashes with the Houthis in the mountainous province of Taiz, Yemeni military officials told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The fighting came as part of a spate of recent Houthi attacks<\/span> on government-held areas across the country. Dozens of government troops have been killed since last week, the Yemeni military said.<\/p>\n

The Houthis also said they launched another drone attack on an Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials did not immediately comment on the reported attack in the city of Jazan. Last weekend, the Houthis fired drones at the refinery, where the Saudi Energy Ministry reported a fire but no casualties.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The conflict dates back to 2014, when the Houthis seized Yemen\u2019s capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia intervened the following year on the side of Yemen\u2019s internationally recognized government. Last month, the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi shipping, threatening another key trade route<\/span> in the region.<\/p>\n

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, told the U.N. Security Council in a video briefing Thursday that Yemen is at greater risk of returning to large-scale conflict than at any time since a 2022 truce paused the fighting.<\/p>\n

Yemen faces \u201ccatastrophe\u201d from rising hunger and from health services crumbling amid the fighting, said U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. He said 6 million people in Yemen face emergency levels of food insecurity bordering on famine, \u201cthe highest number globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peace laureate calls for UN pressure to resolve Yemen conflict<\/h2>\n

Yemen\u2019s Nobel peace laureate Tawakkol Karman said Thursday at the United Nations that Houthi rebels bear the primary responsibility for the \u201ccollapse of the state\u201d in her home country.<\/p>\n

But the human rights campaigner also blamed Iran for backing the Houthis, Saudi Arabia for its intervention on behalf of the government ousted by the Houthis, the United Arab Emirates for its involvement in the conflict and the international community for its failure to do enough to protect civilians.<\/p>\n

Karman had been invited to brief the U.N. Security Council as an independent civil society voice on Yemen, but was blocked from speaking because of \u201cstrong opposition,\u201d Danish Deputy Ambassador Sandra Jensen Landi said. Instead, Karman spoke to reporters outside the council chamber.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Iran and Oman working to clean oil spills off their coasts<\/h2>\n

Oil spills spreading off the coasts of Iran and Oman are raising concerns about environmental damage as oil shipments have come under fire in the Iran war. <\/p>\n

Iran said Thursday it\u2019s working to clean up an oil spill off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz<\/span>. Images distributed by Iran\u2019s semiofficial news agency ISNA showed oil fouling the island\u2019s beaches.<\/p>\n

Read more Broken engine parts shattered the Ryanair plane window that a man\u2019s head got sucked into: NTSB<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

While Iran hasn\u2019t said what caused the spill, the firm TankerTrackers.com says it appears to have started with an Iranian attack on a bulk carrier off Oman. Iran has repeatedly attacked shipping in the strait since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

Oman is responding to another spill<\/span> in the Arabian Sea, coming from a tanker grounded off its southern coast. The tanker Caroline Bezengi \u2014 a sanctioned vessel believed to be part of Russia\u2019s \u201cshadow fleet\u201d \u2014 has been grounded since reporting an explosion in June. No party has claimed responsibility and the cause is unknown. <\/p>\n

A British maritime risk and response company said Thursday it has been hired to salvage the tanker<\/span> and stop the oil leak off Oman. Oil from the ship has been spreading for weeks, reaching shores hundreds of kilometers<\/span> (miles) north of the vessel.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n
\nSign up for Morning Wire:<\/strong>
\n Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.\n <\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n