Houthi rebels seize strategic high ground! Trump reportedly halts airstrikes, escalating Middle East energy risks.

The Houthi rebels are accelerating their struggle for strategic locations in Yemen, while reports indicate that Trump called off airstrikes against the Houthis at the last minute, just after US warplanes had completed their munitions loading. This conflict is extending tensions in the Middle East to new fronts and continues to threaten global energy supplies.

According to CCTV International News, as the Houthi rebels intensify their offensive within Yemen and continue their attacks on Saudi Arabia, US President Trump has been wavering on his request for Saudi assistance for two weeks. Last Thursday, local time, after another phone call with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Trump briefly instructed the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes against the Houthis.

However, by noon local time on September 20, Trump seemed to have changed his mind again. According to US officials, the US would "at least temporarily" not launch airstrikes against the Houthis. Reports indicate that airstrikes against the Houthis were once imminent, but just as Trump ordered the withdrawal, the target list had already been approved, and US warplanes had completed loading their munitions.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Houthi rebels in Yemen announced on the evening of the 19th that they had launched two military operations, attacking "sensitive targets" in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Aramco's facilities in Yanbu. The statement claimed that both operations were "successful," and that large-scale fires broke out in the targeted areas.

The Houthi rebels' control of Yemen's Red Sea coast has effectively blocked Saudi Arabia's alternative oil export route around the Strait of Hormuz, forcing Saudi Arabia to significantly increase oil shipments via the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude oil futures prices have fallen from a high of nearly $110 per barrel last week to around $100 per barrel, but refined fuel retail prices remain at historical highs. U.S. retail diesel prices hit a new record on Monday, breaking through $6.51 per gallon.

Houthi forces are advancing on the high ground, seeking strategic depth.

The Houthi rebels, who have controlled Yemen's capital since 2014, completed a lightning advance on the Red Sea coast this month, causing the collapse of the Saudi-backed government forces.

According to Reuters, citing five Yemeni military sources, the Houthi rebels are currently vying for strategic high ground known as the "Qahbub Mountains" in the Taz and Lahj provinces. These mountains separate the Red Sea coast from the government-controlled southern region.

The fighting is currently concentrated on the outskirts of the remote mountainous region of Al-Wazi'iyah in Taz province, and the Ras al-Ara area along the Indian Ocean coast—a region situated between the Red Sea entrance seized by the Houthis last week and government strongholds in Aden.

The Houthis intend to consolidate their rear positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by controlling the aforementioned high ground, thereby gaining the ability to open new fronts and protect existing occupied territories.

Saudi Arabia has launched hundreds of airstrikes against Houthi positions in recent days, but the Houthis claim these strikes have failed to shake their lines. UN data shows that the escalation of the conflict has resulted in nearly 700 deaths, thousands of injuries, approximately 130,000 Yemenis displaced internally, and over 3,000 fleeing to Africa by boat across the Red Sea.

Trump faces a dilemma: avoiding escalation of the war.

This conflict has put the Trump administration in a dilemma: on the one hand, it faces pressure from Saudi allies, and on the other hand, it is unwilling to escalate the already controversial war triggered by his "Operation Epic Fury" against Iran in February of this year.

The United States bombed the Houthi rebels for two months in early 2025, then withdrew after reaching a ceasefire agreement with the group, and has since largely remained neutral.

According to Reuters, Trump spoke with Rashid al-Alimi, president of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government in Yemen, last Sunday. Al-Alimi requested U.S. military assistance. One Yemeni source and one Western source indicated that Trump did not make any direct commitments to military support during the call.

On a broader diplomatic level, the interim agreement reached between the US and Iran in June collapsed within weeks, and related mediation efforts have since largely stalled.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to fly to New York on Tuesday to attend the United Nations General Assembly, marking the first time an Iranian leader has attended the meeting since Trump launched an attack on Iran in conjunction with Israel.

High freight rates drive U.S. diesel prices to a new record high on Monday.

The Houthi rebels' control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has effectively blocked a key alternative route for Saudi oil exports.

In response, Saudi Arabia has increased its crude oil shipments via the Strait of Hormuz—satellite data shows that Saudi Arabia's daily exports through the strait have recently reached 2.9 million barrels, compared to only 700,000 barrels in August. However, tight shipping capacity has driven freight rates up sharply, with some tankers charging fees as high as a quarter of the cargo's value.

Although oil prices have fallen from their highs of nearly $110 a barrel last week to around $100, refined fuel prices remain at record highs: U.S. retail diesel prices hit a new record high on Monday, breaking through $6.51 a gallon, compared to around $3.75 before the outbreak of the war in February.

For Trump, who views diesel prices as a politically sensitive indicator, this increase poses considerable political pressure.

Meanwhile, the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains tense. The UK Maritime Safety Authority (UKMTO) recently reported that a vessel entering the strait was attacked by projectiles, resulting in minor injuries to the crew.

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