Yemen, the Houthis and Saudi Arabia: how the fighting reignited, and what each side says

Yemen's Houthi movement took the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, and a Saudi-led coalition has fought it since 2015 on behalf of Yemen's internationally recognised government. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely held for several years. In July 2026 the fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia flared again, and on 8 September Houthi missiles and drones hit southern Saudi cities. The Houthis say they are answering Saudi attacks and a blockade. Saudi Arabia says it is defending itself. The UN Security Council has demanded that the Houthis stop their attacks.

A background primer, not a live tracker. Last reviewed 3 October 2026. We attribute every claim to the side that makes it. We describe events with words that all sides' sources use, and we give each side's stated reasons in its own terms. We have not tried to decide whose account is right.

What is not in dispute

• The Houthis took control of Sanaa in 2014 and hold large parts of northern Yemen. Sources: Gulf News · CNN, 8 September 2026
• A Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthis since 2015 on behalf of Yemen's internationally recognised government. Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker
• A UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022 largely halted the fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker · CNN, 8 September 2026
• On 8 September 2026, Houthi missiles and drones struck targets in southern Saudi Arabia. The Houthis claimed the attacks, and Saudi Arabia said 73 people were wounded. Sources: Al Jazeera, 8 September 2026 · NPR/AP, 8 September 2026
• Each side reports attacks by the other almost daily. Sources: Al Jazeera, 18 September 2026 · Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker

How it unfolded

• September 2014

  The Houthis took control of Sanaa and much of the country.

  Sources: Gulf News

• 2015

  A Saudi-led coalition began operations to support Yemen's internationally recognised government. UN Security Council resolution 2216 confirmed Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi as president, called on the Houthis to return control of Sanaa, and called on them to stop using Yemen as a base to attack neighbouring countries.

  Sources: Gulf News · Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker

• 2022

  A UN-brokered ceasefire quieted the war. The Houthis have since demanded an end to Saudi efforts to isolate the large areas of northern Yemen they control through what CNN describes as a travel and economic blockade. AP describes a decade-long air and naval blockade by the coalition.

  Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker · CNN, 8 September 2026 · NPR/AP, 8 September 2026

• July 2026

  The Saudi-Houthi conflict flared up again, shortly after the US-Iran ceasefire unravelled. CNN reports Houthi missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers, and the Council on Foreign Relations notes Houthi strikes on Abha airport.

  Sources: CNN, 8 September 2026 · Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker

• Early September 2026

  AP reports the latest escalation stemmed from a Houthi attempt to fly a plane from Tehran to Sanaa, challenging the coalition's blockade, and that the Houthis then attacked Saudi Arabia and blockaded Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, ending the 2022 truce. On 7 September, the Houthis said Saudi Arabia had launched multiple attacks on Houthi-held areas.

  Sources: NPR/AP, 8 September 2026 · Al Jazeera, 8 September 2026

• 8 September 2026

  The Houthis fired missiles and drones at Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran and at an air base. The Saudi-led coalition said at least 73 people were wounded, including women and children, and that oil and utility facilities were hit. The Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the attacks were retaliation for Saudi attacks on Houthi-held areas. The coalition said it would respond under its right to self-defence. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said diplomacy with the Houthis is still possible.

  Sources: Al Jazeera, 8 September 2026 · CNN, 8 September 2026 · NPR/AP, 8 September 2026

• 18 September 2026

  The UN Security Council condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and on shipping in the Red Sea, demanded that the Houthis stop, and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia. It also condemned Houthi advances near the Bab al-Mandab strait. The same day, the Houthis said Saudi Arabia had carried out 26 attacks on areas they control in 24 hours. Saudi Arabia said one person was killed in Taif after a Houthi drone was intercepted, and Houthi-linked media reported deaths from Saudi attacks in Taiz and Abs.

  Sources: UN Security Council press statement, September 2026 · Al Jazeera, 18 September 2026

• Late September 2026

  UN envoy Hans Grundberg met the Houthis' chief negotiator in Muscat to try to prevent further escalation. Reported topics were reopening Houthi-held ports and Sanaa airport, reconstruction and a timeline for foreign forces to leave. A Houthi drone strike killed four Bahraini members of the coalition. Prince Faisal met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 29 September.

  Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker

• 2 October 2026

  The Council on Foreign Relations reports that Yemeni forces carried out twenty strikes on Houthi positions in Taiz, and that the coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait. None of the claims in this entry is independently verified.

  Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen tracker

What each side says

What is disputed

• Who is responsible for the escalation. The UN Security Council and Saudi Arabia point to Houthi attacks. The Houthis point to Saudi attacks and the blockade.
• Whether the restrictions on Houthi-held ports and Sanaa's airport are a blockade. The Houthis and AP call them that. We have not found Saudi Arabia's own description.
• The Houthis' relationship with Iran. Outlets such as AP and CNN describe them as Iran-backed or Iran-aligned. We have not found the Houthis' own description of that relationship.
• Casualty figures. Each side publishes its own and we have not verified them.

Where to follow it

• UN Security Council press releases: official statements on Yemen
• Washington Center for Yemeni Studies: Yemen-focused research and news summaries
• Council on Foreign Relations tracker: a regularly updated overview
• CrisisWatch: International Crisis Group's monthly summaries

This primer is reviewed when the situation changes materially. If we have got something wrong, we correct it here and in our corrections log. Back to the live trackers