The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist

Strait and narrowing: the Houthis’ striking advance

September 14, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In recent days, the Houthis, an Iran-backed Shia militia group, made striking advances along Yemen’s western coast, capturing the port city of Mocha and then Perim Island in the middle of Bab el-Mandeb, a choke point into the Red Sea that has become an alternate oil route since the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. Drones also hit a major oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia. The details are fuzzy, but what is clear is that for the Houthis, the regional calculus has changed. This is the biggest shift in Yemen’s war for a number of years.

The Houthis’ advance and the collapse of the anti-Houthi coalition

The civil war in Yemen has been going on since 2014, when the Houthis first pushed out of their northern strongholds and seized a large part of the country, including the capital. A Saudi-led coalition invaded the following year to push them back, but the war devolved into a stalemate. Since 2022, a ceasefire had frozen the front lines, and the Saudis and Houthis spent years trying to negotiate a permanent end to the war. That effort was unsuccessful.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:52) **Houthi Advance Reshapes Yemen’s War** - Greg Carlstrom reports the Iran-backed Houthis have captured Mocha and Perim Island, a major escalation in the conflict.
  • 2 (02:57) **How the Stalemate Broke** - The years-long frozen front lines in Yemen began to thaw when the US-Israel war with Iran drew in Houthi forces.
  • 3 (04:37) **Why the Saudi-Led Coalition Collapsed** - The anti-Houthi coalition was fatally weakened by internal divisions, allowing the Houthis to advance against minimal resistance.
  • 4 (06:09) **The Search for Outside Help** - Saudi Arabia is seeking foreign military support to counter the Houthi advance, but key allies are reluctant to get involved.
  • 5 (07:48) **The Oil Market Under Pressure** - The Houthi advance tightens a global oil supply squeeze by controlling a key shipping lane and attacking Saudi infrastructure.
  • 6 (08:57) **Where This Conflict Ends** - While this is a serious escalation, it does not guarantee a permanent Houthi victory or a decisive shift in the wider regional war.
  • 7 Standout Quotes

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Greg Carlstrom

Show Notes

After years of stalemate, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis are taking territory, including on a Red Sea strait. We ask what has changed, and how the shift fits into the wider regional conflict. As America’s midterm elections approach, we examine the fragmentation of the coalition that put Donald Trump back in office. And we ask how much nepotism matters in Hollywood today.


Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Intelligence from The Economist

More from this podcast

The Intelligence from The Economist →