What to know after a week of Houthi attacks that threaten Saudi oil

Tents are lined up in the Al-Firdaws camp for displaced Yemenis in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP hide caption toggle caption Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP CAIRO — It's been a week since Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed down the Red Sea coast, extending their reach to a key maritime chokepoint and threatening Saudi Arabia's oil exports. The Houthis' biggest land grab in years reignited Yemen's 12-year civil war and pushed up global fuel prices. It also gave Iran another potential source of leverage as the United States has started to loosen Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula. The Houthis are also firing at Saudi oil facilities and tankers. An attack on Saudi Arabia's east-west pipeline, blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, added to an unfolding nightmare for the kingdom and rattled world markets. The rebel blitz has forced some 125,000 Yemenis to flee their homes. The civil war has killed over 150,000 people and at times pushed the country to the brink of famine. Now the rebels appear to be eyeing Yemen's oil-rich east. So far, the only thing standing in their...