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Yemen’s Houthi group said Friday that Saudi Arabia had conducted 14 airstrikes and missile attacks in four Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours, as clashes between Houthi fighters and government forces continued on several fronts in southwestern Yemen. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on X that Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets based in Khamis Mushait and Taif, along with missiles launched from Najran in southern Saudi Arabia, struck targets in the Yemeni provinces of Taiz, Amran, Marib and Saada. According to Sarea, the latest attacks raised the number of Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and missile attacks to 1,032 since the latest escalation began. The Houthi claims could not be independently verified, while Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the allegations. Meanwhile, fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis continued on several fronts in Taiz province in the southwest and neighboring Lahj province on Friday, a Yemeni military official told Xinhua. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the opposing sides continued to exchange fire and carry out hit-and-run attacks, with control of some frontline positions changing hands repeatedly. In a separate statement posted on X, Yemeni government forces said a drone strike on Houthi positions along the Al-Kadha front in western Taiz killed seven Houthi fighters and injured several others. Clashes have intensified in Taiz and Lahj following recent Houthi advances near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Government forces are attempting to prevent further Houthi advances toward strategic highlands overlooking the important maritime route. The Bab al-Mandab Strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is considered one of the world's major maritime chokepoints, serving as an important route for global trade and energy shipments. Yemen has remained embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government to leave the city. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to support the Yemeni government.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed Cairo's steadfast support for Saudi Arabia after the kingdom intercepted six ballistic missiles launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen, stating that Saudi security is integral to regional stability. In an interview with media, Abdelatty emphasized that Egypt stands firmly alongside the kingdom during these attacks. "The security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of regional security, and Egypt stands by the kingdom," the foreign minister said. Turning to the Palestinian issue, Abdelatty said that Cairo is currently awaiting "a positive initiative from Israel regarding the deployment of the international stabilisation force in Gaza." He also commended Palestinian factions for adopting a responsible stance regarding the handover of weapons, describing their position as praiseworthy. Addressing ongoing concerns regarding forced civilian relocation, Abdelatty firmly rejected any attempts to drive Palestinians out of their homeland. "The displacement of Palestinians from their land is a red line, and we will not allow it to happen," he added. With inputs from Al Jazeera

Six weeks after Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed a defense agreement in Mecca pledging to regard an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all three, the escalating confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia is putting the commitment to its first major test. Houthi forces have pushed along Yemen’s western coast toward the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait while increasing missile and drone attacks against targets deep inside Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, in response, has stepped up airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. Tensions rose further after Saudi authorities said they had intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the holy city’s airspace. The Houthis denied that they had targeted Mecca. The confrontation then moved closer to the Saudi capital on Saturday. Explosions were reported in Riyadh as authorities issued an air alert, while the Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at the city. The Houthis said they had launched attacks on targets in Riyadh and Yanbu, a major energy center on the Red Sea. The widening exchange has turned the renewed conflict in Yemen into a broader test of regional deterrence. Türkiye and Pakistan have pledged to support Saudi Arabia, although neither country has announced plans to take part directly in combat operations against the Houthis. The situation is raising a key question over the Mecca agreement: whether its members can make their collective defense commitment credible enough to discourage further attacks without becoming directly involved in a wider conflict. Pressure spreads beyond YemenSaudi Arabia is coming under increasing pressure across a wider area, from fighting in Yemen and around the Bab al-Mandab Strait to attacks threatening its cities and energy facilities. On Saturday, the Houthis said they had used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones to attack what they called “sensitive targets” in Riyadh and an Aramco facility in Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities said their air defenses intercepted the missile aimed at Riyadh and stopped attacks targeting Baish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group was following a policy of “escalation for escalation,” linking the attacks to increased Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. The situation on the ground in Yemen has also changed significantly. Houthi forces captured the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha in southwestern Taiz province on Sept. 10. The following day, they took Dhubab and Mayyun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait after government forces withdrew farther south into neighboring Lahj province. Fighting has since intensified around the Kahbub mountain region and nearby high ground overlooking the approaches to the strait. Both sides have been sending additional forces to the area. The Bab al-Mandab Strait connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and, farther north, the Suez Canal, making it a key route for global trade and energy shipments. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz already affected by wider regional tensions, instability around Bab al-Mandab is adding pressure on another major maritime chokepoint. From pledge to practiceOn Aug. 7, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. The agreement is based on the principle of collective defense, under which an armed attack against any of the three countries is to be treated as an attack against all of them. Later that month, the three countries began establishing the pact’s institutional framework. At a meeting in Istanbul, they agreed to expand military coordination and defense-industry cooperation and to establish a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia. The Houthi attacks have now shifted the agreement from institutional planning to a practical test. Türkiye has offered the clearest indication of the possible form of its support. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that Ankara would honor its commitments and could provide technical assistance to address Saudi military needs. Pakistan has also issued strong political statements in support of Saudi Arabia. Islamabad has repeatedly condemned attacks on the kingdom and reaffirmed its support for Saudi sovereignty and territorial integrity. Pakistan’s military has said it would go “to any extent” to defend Saudi sovereignty. However, neither Ankara nor Islamabad has announced direct military operations against the Houthis. For Türkiye and Pakistan, fulfilling the collective-defense commitment does not necessarily mean immediately joining the fighting in Yemen. Analysts said their assistance could include air-defense coordination, intelligence sharing, technical support and logistics aimed at strengthening Saudi defenses while avoiding direct involvement in the conflict. Deterrence without entanglement?The escalation is testing whether the new alliance can make its collective-defense pledge an effective deterrent without becoming directly involved in the war, Aden-based political analyst Muqbil Naji told Xinhua. “The challenge is not simply to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia, but to make that solidarity credible enough to influence the calculations of those attacking it,” Naji said. He said Turkish and Pakistani assistance could improve Saudi Arabia’s ability to detect and intercept incoming missiles and drones, but would not guarantee protection against every attack. “More defenses can reduce the risk, but they cannot remove it,” he said. “The bigger challenge is preventing the attacks from continuing.” Analysts also warned that greater involvement by Türkiye and Pakistan could create another risk by making the conflict more difficult to contain. “The more actors enter the equation, the harder it becomes to keep the conflict contained,” said Ali bin Hadi, a military observer based in Aden. He said the situation could become significantly more complicated if Turkish or Pakistani personnel or military assets were directly attacked. “Once their own forces come under attack, staying purely defensive becomes much harder,” he said. For now, analysts said there is still room for Türkiye and Pakistan to strengthen Saudi defenses while avoiding direct military intervention and maintaining diplomatic channels. But that balance remains vulnerable to further escalation. A major attack causing heavy casualties in Saudi Arabia, significant damage to energy infrastructure or another incident near the holy sites could change the calculations quickly. The first major test of the Mecca agreement, analysts said, may therefore be less about whether Turkish or Pakistani forces enter the Yemen conflict and more about whether their commitment can raise the cost of further attacks enough to discourage additional escalation.

The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told Al Jazeera in an interview that Iran is waiting for President Donald Trump's response after Tehran conveyed its conditions for ending the war via Qatar. It was not clear when the conditions were shared. Rezaei said they include ending the war on all fronts, releasing assets seized from Iran and ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Earlier U.S.-Iran negotiations fell apart. He also said Iran wants the fighting involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia to end.  

Saudi Arabia warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom overnight, including the first alert in its capital since an escalation in fighting with Iran-backed rebels in neighboring Yemen. Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran has sent Washington its conditions for ending the war via Qatar, a key mediator. Israeli strikes killed three people in Gaza. And Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets across several areas in southern Lebanon. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here. Explosion heard in Saudi capital after alerts At least one explosion was heard in Riyadh after the first alert for the Saudi capital since the latest escalation in fighting with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Residents near the airport said they saw a plume of smoke later in the morning. No casualties or damage were reported. Saudi authorities did not comment and didn't say what prompted the alerts, but they previously reported intercepting Houthi missiles and drones. The Houthis later claimed without providing evidence they targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities of the Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, causing “massive fires.” Neither Saudi authorities nor Aramco, the world's largest oil company, immediately responded to a request for comment. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed they attacked with cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones. Iran awaits US response to its conditions for ending the war The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told Al Jazeera in an interview that Iran is waiting for President Donald Trump's response after Tehran conveyed its conditions for ending the war via Qatar. It was not clear when the conditions were shared. Rezaei said they include ending the war on all fronts, releasing assets seized from Iran and ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Earlier U.S.-Iran negotiations fell apart. He also said Iran wants the fighting involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia to end. Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel Iran's state TV said a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. The report said Pedram shared classified information on “sensitive military sites” in Iran's Isfahan province. It didn't say how he accessed the information. He was reportedly arrested after those sites, which included missile bases, were targeted in last year's 12-day air war by the U.S. and Israel. A recent surge of executions in Iran prompted an international outcry by rights groups. US military says oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz The head of U.S. Central Command said the military has supported the transit of 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months and claimed that Iran has “exported zero barrels” because of a U.S. blockade. Adm. Brad Cooper said the strait's primary transit lanes have been cleared of mines, and the volume of oil, natural gas and cargo transiting over the past two weeks is the highest it has been in six months — or shortly after the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes. But monitors say shipping traffic remains well below prewar levels. Iran continues to attack ships as it asserts control over the waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war. Israeli strikes kill 3 men in Gaza Gaza’s Health Ministry and Shifa Hospital officials said one man was killed in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City. Another man, identified as the son of the ministry's director general, was killed as he walked in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said it struck “several military operatives” and that it would provide more details later. Later, officials at Shifa Hospital said an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle in Gaza City killed one person and wounded at least four others. “The body was completely charred,” managing director Rami Mhanna said. Israel’s military said it “struck a Hamas military operative." The heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas has subsided since a ceasefire last October, but Israeli fire has killed more than 13,780 Palestinians in Gaza since then, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel launches airstrikes in southern Lebanon Israel's military said it struck targets of the Hezbollah militant group across several areas in southern Lebanon. The strikes took place after two soldiers were wounded when their vehicle drove over a Hezbollah explosive device in an area of southern Lebanon occupied by Israeli troops, the military said. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported three Israeli airstrikes on the southern town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa. It said the third strike almost hit paramedics heading to the area. It said no one was hurt. Pakistani, Iranian foreign ministers talk shipping safety Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed uninterrupted energy supplies and safe passage for commercial ships during a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Dar cited the potential effects of disruptions on developing countries and global supply chains. Rising energy prices have increased pressure on Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government. An Islamist party has threatened to march on the capital, Islamabad, unless the government lowers fuel prices. Iran race managers charged for allowing women to run without headscarves Iran’s state TV said the Tehran prosecutor’s office filed charges against race organizers after women participated without covering their hair because “legal and Islamic Sharia” wasn’t observed. The country's ruling theocracy requires women to wear scarves that cover their hair and loose-fitting clothes that hide their bodies. Footage circulated online shows women running the 10-kilometer (6-mile) race without the hair covering. Habib Sotoudehnejad, head of Tehran’s sports department, said about 5% of participants violated race rules. The race was run separately for men and women. Blast at Syrian arms depot kills 11 Syria’s Defense Ministry held a funeral for 11 soldiers killed a day earlier during an explosion in the village of Ayash in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour. The ministry did not give a reason for the blast that also wounded several other military personnel. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blast occurred in an arms depot at a military post. Kids return to school in war-devastated Gaza The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said more than 280,000 children in Gaza are attending school in tents and heavily damaged classrooms. At one school in Nuseirat, some classrooms have no desks, leaving children to sit on blankets on the floor. Still, some families said a return to school brings back a familiar sense of routine that was upended by war. UNRWA education program chief Tawfiq al-Hourani said the agency three years ago operated 182 fully equipped schools. He said 95% of them have since been lost.

About 2,000 buildings in Gaza face a severe risk of collapsing, leaving roughly 300,000 displaced residents searching for proper shelter, according to Jaco Cilliers, special representative for the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People at the UNDP. Speaking in response to reports that approximately 100 people are missing beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Gaza City, Cilliers described the situation as tragic, expressing sympathy for families who have already lost relatives or whose loved ones remain trapped under damaged structures. He warned that structures weakened by prior damage will continue to collapse as displaced residents seek dignified shelter to return to their homes, even when many buildings remain unsafe. Cilliers said that while the UNDP is actively working to clear rubble, the agency urgently requires the right equipment and mechanisms to remove debris safely. He noted that damaged buildings require construction materials, restoration and engineering inspections before residents can safely re-enter, but extreme desperation is pushing people into hazardous situations. Across Gaza, nearly 10,000 people remain missing under the rubble. Although clearing roads to enable humanitarian access remains the programme's primary focus, workers continue to recover bodies on a regular basis. Cilliers added that processes are underway to identify remains and ensure dignified burials observing religious customs. With inputs from Al Jazeera

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday night that the commander of Hamas' Rafah Brigade was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza. Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military and Shin Bet security agency said they had conducted a strike targeting a “senior” Hamas figure in the southern Gaza Strip. In a joint statement issued later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz said the operation came after Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade commander and other senior figures were killed earlier this week. They also said no militant was “immune” and that Hamas would not remain in Gaza. Palestinian medical sources, however, reported that at least two Palestinians, including a child, were killed and several others injured in the strike Tuesday evening. The sources told Xinhua that the bodies of two people, including a child, along with several injured Palestinians were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Women and children were among those reportedly in critical condition. Local residents and eyewitnesses said an Israeli aircraft fired three missiles at tents housing displaced Palestinians at al-Sumoud camp in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, setting the tents ablaze. Israeli strikes in Gaza have continued despite a ceasefire that came into effect in October 2025.

Yemen's Houthi group said Tuesday that Saudi warplanes conducted 52 airstrikes in five Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours as cross-border fighting between the two sides intensified. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on X that F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets carried out the attacks after taking off from Saudi air bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif. According to Sarea, the strikes targeted Taiz in southwestern Yemen, Al-Jawf in the north, Al-Bayda in central Yemen, and Saada and Amran provinces in the north. He alleged that schools, bridges, roads and other civilian infrastructure were among the targets, and warned that the attacks “will not go unanswered,” indicating possible further Houthi retaliation. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the allegations. Meanwhile, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that three civilians, including two children, were killed and two others injured in airstrikes on the Dhubab and Maqbanah districts of Taiz. The broadcaster also reported additional strikes on a government complex in Khadir district in southeastern Taiz, saying there were casualties but providing no further details. The latest Saudi strikes came a day after the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif. The Saudi-led coalition said the attacks injured 13 civilians and pledged a “responsible and firm” response. The escalation comes amid a Houthi offensive that began Sept. 3 and has changed front lines along Yemen's Red Sea coast. The Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mocha on Sept. 10 before advancing toward the Bab al-Mandab area and taking control of Mayun Island, located in the strategic strait, on Sept. 11. Yemen's conflict began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

The Trump administration is planning to supply Israel with powerful 2,000-pound bombs as part of a forthcoming $2.8 billion arms package, weapons that raised concerns over potential mass casualties in Gaza and led the Biden administration to suspend their delivery two years ago. The proposed package includes 40,000 such bombs — 20,000 Mk84s and 20,000 BLU-117s — according to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the package has not yet been finalized. Congress has been informally notified about the proposed sale. Most of the package would be financed through foreign military financing, under which US taxpayer funds are provided to Israel, which then uses the money to purchase US-made weapons. The proposed deal is the latest in a series of measures by the Trump administration aimed at strengthening Israel's military capabilities. The war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated the territory. Although the United States brokered a fragile ceasefire, violence has continued. The package, first reported by The Washington Post, comes as Israel faces growing international isolation over its war in Gaza, launched in response to the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. The proposed sale also indicates that strains between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not significantly affected the close US-Israeli alliance. Trump and Netanyahu have had an on-and-off relationship over the years. Trump had expressed some frustration with Netanyahu over the conflict with Iran before their most recent meeting at the White House in July. The Biden administration withheld one shipment of the bombs in 2024, but Trump lifted the suspension after returning to office. Last year, the Trump administration bypassed the usual congressional review process to approve an arms sale worth nearly $3 billion to Israel that included more than 35,500 of the bombs. In January, the administration approved another series of arms sales to Israel worth a total of $6.67 billion. The 2,000-pound bombs come in several variants. Some are designed to penetrate deep underground targets, while others explode above ground and can cause extensive destruction. The Israeli military has provided few details about the types of bombs and artillery it has used in Gaza. However, experts who have examined strike footage and blast fragments recovered from attack sites believe US-made bombs have been used against a tunnel network operated by Hamas, while also causing deaths in densely populated areas. Although the heaviest fighting in Gaza has eased since the fragile ceasefire began in October, Israel has continued conducting strikes in the territory. Several people were killed in strikes overnight and into Tuesday, despite efforts by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a key Middle East negotiator, to advance the ceasefire agreement. Kushner met Netanyahu last month and urged Israel to reduce its attacks as part of efforts to move the ceasefire deal forward. Militants have also carried out shooting attacks against Israeli troops. Israel says its strikes are carried out in response to those attacks and other violations of the ceasefire. The Hamas-led assault on southern Israel in 2023 killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 others being taken hostage. Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought Egypt's support Tuesday as the kingdom confronts escalating attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saudi shipping and key infrastructure, developments that have contributed to a sharp rise in global oil prices. The crown prince met Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo, with Saudi Arabia increasingly facing the Iran-backed Houthis largely on its own. The rebels have made rapid territorial gains in Yemen over the past week, enhancing their ability to disrupt Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea. The vulnerability of Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure was highlighted further by an attack several days ago that damaged the kingdom's largest pipeline. The attack was reportedly carried out by Iran-aligned militias in Iraq. Regional officials said the East-West Pipeline is expected to remain largely out of service for weeks while repairs are carried out. The disruption could remove several million barrels of oil per day from the global market. The Houthi offensive has effectively created a new front in the wider Middle East conflict and strengthened Iran's position against its traditional regional rival, Saudi Arabia. Iran has also targeted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, another major maritime route in the Persian Gulf. Following his meeting with el-Sissi, Crown Prince Mohammed said in a statement that the two countries reaffirmed "their shared commitment to ensuring freedom and security of maritime navigation" in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the strategic chokepoint at the southern end of the Red Sea. El-Sissi's office issued a statement expressing "Egypt's unwavering position in supporting Saudi Arabia." Neither country provided specific details about possible future measures. Although Egypt is unlikely to send military forces to assist Saudi Arabia, Cairo has significant influence in the Arab world and could help build regional support. Egypt has also played a central role in mediation efforts during the region's three years of turmoil, maintaining relations with all sides, including Iran and its allies. Kingdom faces difficult choices as it seeks support The Houthis have made significant advances in recent days, capturing the Red Sea port of Mokha as well as three strategically important islands in and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The territorial gains have strengthened the Houthis' ability to potentially block the strait for Saudi shipping, which they have been targeting since late July. Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the open ocean and, ultimately, with Saudi Arabia's major oil markets in Asia. Saudi Arabia has so far appeared hesitant to launch a large-scale military campaign against the Houthis. The kingdom is concerned that such an operation could trigger further attacks on its oil facilities and pull it back into a full-scale civil war in Yemen, its southern neighbor. With Houthi attacks continuing, Riyadh now faces a difficult choice between escalating its military response and pursuing a diplomatic settlement. Saudi Arabia's most important ally, the United States, has also been unpredictable and at times unreliable. US President Donald Trump appears reluctant to expand an already unpopular and deadlocked Middle East war ahead of congressional elections. The United Arab Emirates, which had previously been part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, has withdrawn from the conflict following disputes between its allies in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Yemen's U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that Yemen's armed forces were regrouping and regaining control. He called for enforcement of a U.N. arms embargo on the Houthis and urged the council to condemn the escalation. Al-Saadi asked "whether the international community will accept for one of the world's most important gateways for trade and energy to become a blackmail card in the hands of a transnational terrorist group." Egypt also suffering from Houthi attacks Egypt has also suffered economic consequences from the Houthi campaign. Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea during the Gaza war caused a decline in traffic through the Suez Canal, reducing a major source of Egyptian revenue. During the Iran war, Saudi Arabia rerouted its oil exports through the Red Sea, with a significant portion moving through the Suez Canal or an Egyptian pipeline linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. However, the shutdown of the East-West Pipeline is expected to sharply reduce or completely halt those shipments for several weeks. There are, however, limits to the assistance Egypt can provide Saudi Arabia. "I don't think MBS wants troops from Cairo, which he knows would be a very difficult ask," said analyst H.A. Hellyer, referring to the crown prince by his initials. Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said Cairo could instead provide Riyadh with political support among Arab countries for whatever measures it decides to take against the Houthis. "There's genuine international consensus that the Houthis cannot be allowed to hold a choke point like Bab el-Mandeb hostage," Hellyer said. However, he noted that some countries remain reluctant to cooperate with Saudi Arabia because of their previous experience with the kingdom's intervention in Yemen. The coalition that Crown Prince Mohammed assembled in 2015 to fight the Houthis largely collapsed several years later amid internal disputes and factional divisions. "MBS is keenly aware of this and will be trying to make it clear there is a much better plan for going forward," Hellyer said. "It just depends on how many are convinced." Fighting pushes Yemen back toward civil war The Houthi advances have inflicted major setbacks on Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, including the country's internationally recognized government, reviving a conflict that had largely subsided under a 2022 truce. The World Health Organization said fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces killed more than 500 people over the past week, compared with nearly 200 the previous week. The violence has also displaced nearly 94,000 people. Save the Children reported that at least 117 civilians, including 19 children, were killed between Aug. 1 and Sept. 9. The organization said 43 children were killed or injured during the first week of September, making it the highest weekly child casualty figure recorded by the group in a year. "Children are once again paying the highest price for some of the most severe violence the country has seen in years," said Rishana Haniffa, the agency's Yemen director. Anees al Asbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said Tuesday in a post on X that Saudi airstrikes killed three people, including two children, in Yemen's Taiz province. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim. Alerts sounded in several parts of Saudi Arabia early Tuesday, which often indicates missile or drone launches by the Houthis or Iraqi militias. There were no immediate reports of attacks. On Monday, Houthi missile and drone strikes in southern Saudi Arabia injured 13 civilians and damaged homes and vehicles, Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said. The Houthis control the capital, Sanaa, as well as northern and western Yemen, where most of the country's population lives. The internationally recognized government and its allied forces, consisting of a mix of militias, control southern and eastern Yemen, including the country's largest port, Aden, and its oil fields. Saudi Arabia led an aerial bombing campaign against the Houthis for years beginning in 2015, but its allies made little progress on the ground. The conflict has killed an estimated 150,000 people and at times pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.