Yemeni army reports 1,540 Houthi casualties and closes crossing in Taiz

What happened

On Saturday the army closed the al-Huban crossing, which connects Houthi-held al-Huban with the government-controlled city of Taiz, for security reasons. Meanwhile, on October 3, Saudi Arabia intercepted three ballistic missiles aimed at the south of the country, and debris from one of them fell in the southern province of Asir, wounding a resident in Ahad Rafidah governorate. Al Jazeera English

Earlier, the Houthis launched a rapid offensive, seizing almost the entire Red Sea coast of Yemen and tightening their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, leading to road closures and disruption of ports. Oil prices hit $110 per barrel on September 15, the highest level in months, and Saudi Arabia temporarily halted an important oil pipeline after a drone attack for which it blamed pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. RFE/RL Central Asia + 1

Why it matters

The World Food Programme reported that a record number of people in government-controlled areas of Yemen cannot meet their food needs, and fighting on the southwestern coast has forced almost 150,000 people from their homes, disrupting markets and humanitarian access. The escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi group has become the most serious since the UN-brokered truce of 2022. Internazionale

What changed

According to the UN, more than 130,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen since early September, and Taiz remains the epicentre of the crisis, accounting for more than 60 percent of all displacement. As recently as late September, the UN estimated the number displaced by fighting in Taiz province at more than 230,000. Earlier, after the Houthis seized the port of Mokha, the International Organization for Migration reported more than 46,000 displaced people, warning that the figure was growing 'by the hour'. Al Jazeera English + 1