Intense fighting between Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces and Houthi rebels has displaced 290,000 people. Clashes concentrated in the Taiz governorate and coastal areas have left thousands dead.
A United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report on Friday warned that 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers face rapidly worsening conditions. Basic services are disrupted while food and fuel prices surge.
Among the newly displaced are 6,100 pregnant women. This figure includes 600 women due to give birth within two weeks, according to the UN.
Aid groups have delivered food, hygiene supplies, and emergency cash to roughly 249,000 displaced individuals. The UN has dispatched mobile teams and midwives to various displacement sites.
The escalation in Yemen coincides with the conflict expanding across the border into Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition stated it intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki stated that relevant authorities were inspecting the site. He confirmed no casualties resulted from the incident.
This marks the second interception over the Riyadh region in as many days. On Friday, Saudi authorities reported drones were downed near Mecca, Medina, and Riyadh, alongside a Houthi missile fired toward the kingdom’s south.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied launching drones toward Saudi territory, dismissing the claims as egregious lies.
The group has consistently denied targeting Islam’s two holiest cities. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for several attacks on the Saudi capital, airports, and oil infrastructure.
Road closures caused by the fighting have blocked food, medicine, fuel, and water supplies. These blockades affect two million people living in the surrounding areas.
Yemen’s civil war began in September 2014 when Houthi forces captured the capital, Sanaa. The conflict escalated in March 2015 when a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened to support the government.
