Houthi attacks are driving up oil prices. For Yemenis in the crossfire, the toll is far greater

CAIRO -- As Houthi rebels closed in, Eshraq Abdel Gelil and her husband fled their home, walking through the mountains before catching a ride to a nearby city. Four months pregnant, she feared another miscarriage.They are among more than 125,000 people who have fled as the Iran-backed rebels have advanced down the Red Sea coast to a key maritime chokepoint. The offensive, linked to the wider Iran war, has threatened Saudi oil exports, pushed up global fuel prices and rattled markets.The cost has been far greater for Yemenis caught in the crossfire. Many have fled their homes with only what they could carry. The Arab world’s poorest country was pushed to the brink of famine in an earlier phase of the civil war, which killed an estimated 150,000 people.A Saudi-led blockade, along with the Houthis’ repressive rule and detention of U.N. and aid workers, has made life miserable in the now-expanding territory under rebel control. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, weak and fragmented, has struggled to push them back.Abdel Gelil is now sheltering with family in the southwestern city of Taiz, while others are sleeping in the streets or erecting makeshift tents out of plastic.Her husband, Moh...