Houthi forces push for strategic high ground in Yemen as more residents flee

Fighting between Houthi forces and their opponents has intensified in Yemen, with thousands more residents reported to have fled their homes as the conflict escalates around strategically important high ground.

US media outlets have reported that the Trump administration called off planned strikes against the Houthis at the last minute on Sunday, though the specific reasons behind the decision have not been detailed in available reporting.

Displacement continues

The intensifying fighting has added to the humanitarian toll of Yemen's long-running conflict, with additional families forced to leave their homes as combat continues in contested areas. The scale of the latest displacement and the exact locations of the fiercest fighting were not fully detailed in initial reports.

The Houthi movement has been engaged in years of conflict in Yemen, and control of elevated, strategically significant terrain has repeatedly been a flashpoint in the fighting. The prospect of US strikes against the group has been a recurring element of the broader conflict, with military action alternately threatened, carried out, or, as reported in this instance, called off shortly before being launched.

Further details on the course of the fighting, casualty figures and the humanitarian response were expected to emerge as the situation develops.