Yemen conflict escalates with intense fighting near critical Red Sea waterway, 80 combatants killed

Yemen's Houthis and Saudi-backed forces engaged in intense fighting near a waterway crucial to global energy flows, resulting in 80 combatant deaths over the past day. The Houthis have also gained control of the Red Sea coast, including the Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical chokepoint for global shipping. This marks a significant escalation of the civil war, which reignited in July.