As world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level week, a fast-moving escalation in Yemen was reshaping the agenda. The Iran-backed Houthi movement launched a lightning offensive across Yemen’s Red Sea coast in September 2026, pushed into the country’s strategic highlands, and claimed missile and drone strikes on the Saudi capital Riyadh — while the United States, according to the New York Times, prepared and then abruptly called off retaliatory airstrikes. Here is what happened, and why it matters.

What happened: the Houthi offensive

Early in September 2026, Houthi fighters — who have controlled Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 — seized large stretches of the country’s Red Sea coast, routing forces of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government. The advance extended the wider Middle East conflict into a new theatre and threatened one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

The offensive then pushed inland. By the week of September 21, Houthi forces were fighting to seize strategic heights in Yemen’s highlands — analysts described the battle for the Kahboub Mountains as potentially decisive — in an effort to cut off the Red Sea coast from the remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces. According to the UN, the fighting had already displaced nearly 130,000 people and killed close to 700.

The strikes on Riyadh

On Saturday, September 19, the Houthis said they had fired missiles and drones at “sensitive” sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and at an oil facility linked to Saudi Aramco in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. Residents of Riyadh reported explosions and a plume of black smoke near King Khalid International Airport.

Saudi officials confirmed that the kingdom’s defences intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the capital — the first attempted strike on Riyadh since the current escalation began. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the downed missile, though debris from an intercepted Houthi drone earlier in the week fell on a Yemeni resident living in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia also accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, while the Houthis claimed, without providing evidence, that they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemen.

The American decision that wasn’t

The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared to launch airstrikes against the Houthis on Sunday, September 20, after fresh pleas from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — but that President Donald Trump called off the strikes at the last minute, even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the Times’ account; US Central Command referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond. What is confirmed is that Yemen’s Saudi-backed president, Rashad al-Alimi, asked Trump by phone on Sunday for US military help, and that Trump made no direct pledge of support during the call, according to people familiar with it. Washington has so far rebuffed repeated Saudi requests to join the fight in Yemen directly, though CNN reported that Saudi Arabia has received increased US intelligence and targeting support.

Why the Red Sea matters: energy and trade

The stakes go beyond Yemen. The Houthi advance has brought their fighters closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, through which a large share of global trade and energy shipments passes. US and Gulf officials have expressed growing concern that the Houthis are seeking greater control over the waterway.

The economic spillover is already visible. Reuters reported that a global diesel shortage driven by the wars in Iran and Ukraine is unlikely to ease before next year, extending a spike in fuel costs weighing on economies worldwide. Saudi Arabia has meanwhile rerouted oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz at record wartime fees, with Britain and France stepping in militarily to provide refuelling and infrastructure protection.

UNGA: diplomacy under pressure

All of this landed in New York just as the UN General Assembly’s general debate opened on September 22 — the 81st session’s high-level week, running through September 26 and resuming September 28. About 130 heads of state and government were expected, under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.”

It is Secretary-General António Guterres’s final high-level week; his second term ends on December 31, 2026. By tradition, Brazil spoke first — a custom since 1955 — followed by the United States as host country. President Trump used the speech to defend America’s use of military force against Iran and Venezuela, framed a stark choice for Tehran — strike a deal or face the “annihilation” of the Islamic Republic — and, according to media reports, rejected international efforts to regulate artificial intelligence and described the International Court of Justice as “evil.”

Other leaders struck contrasting notes. France’s Emmanuel Macron, delivering his final UNGA address, said France would continue to support the ICJ. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian were scheduled to address the Assembly on the same day, Wednesday, September 23 — with the US-Iran war, launched in late February 2026, now in its seventh month. Notably absent from the podium: China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi.

Why it matters

The Yemen escalation is a stress test for three things at once: Saudi Arabia’s ability to defend its territory and energy infrastructure, America’s appetite for another Middle Eastern military commitment, and the UN system’s capacity to prevent a regional war from widening into a global energy crisis. With the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab both under strain, diplomats in New York are negotiating with the clock running.

FAQs

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis are an Iran-backed movement that has controlled Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014. They are fighting the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government of Yemen in a conflict that escalated sharply in September 2026.

Did the US strike the Houthis?

The New York Times reported that President Trump prepared airstrikes on September 20 and called them off at the last minute. Reuters could not verify the report, and the White House did not comment. No US strikes were publicly confirmed.

Why does Yemen matter for global energy?

Yemen sits beside the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint for trade and energy shipments between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Fighting near it threatens shipping routes and has contributed to rising global fuel costs.

What is happening at the UN this week?

The UN General Assembly’s general debate — the annual roll-call of world leaders — runs September 22–26 and September 28, 2026. It is Secretary-General António Guterres’s final high-level week before his term ends on December 31, 2026.

Compiled by the Khabar 24h Editorial Desk from publicly available sources.