Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday (September 14, 2026) that Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes across the west of the country after the Iran-backed group earlier announced it targeted military bases in the kingdom.

The group, fighting the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government, last week seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which has become vital as the wider U.S.-Iran war chokes the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis said Riyadh targeted Yemen with 54 strikes over 24 hours, after the group fired dozens of drones and missiles at Saudi military facilities, prompting the Saudi civil defence to issue alerts in the southern cities of Khamis Mushait and Abha.

The civil defence later issued a brief alert for Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia without elaborating on the cause for the warning.

A Khamis Mushait resident said he heard “intense blasts” which left fires burning for a “long time”. “Honestly, we couldn’t sleep at all.”

Houthi missile attacks in western Yemen killed eight troops from Yemeni government forces, two military sources with the Aden-based administration told AFP.

The Iran-backed group’s Al-Masirah TV channel said two civilians were killed in Saudi strikes that destroyed a bridge in Taiz province, which has seen some of Yemen’s fiercest clashes in recent days.

The renewed fighting in Yemen comes as the wider regional war remains at a stalemate. But U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he was open to holding talks with Iran.

“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage — The concept of which we are open to,” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social network.

​A meeting ‌in Oman ​between ⁠Gulf countries and ‌Iran to ‌discuss ‌possible ⁠agreements ⁠on the Strait of ​Hormuz, ‌which had been scheduled ‌for ​Monday (September 14, 2026), has been postponed, ⁠Omani Foreign ‌Minister Badr Albusaidi said ‌on X ​late Sunday (September 13, 2026).

Mr. Albusaidi said the meeting had been postponed “in the interests of consensus.” “We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,” he added.

Meanwhile, Fars news agency, citing ​an Iranian foreign ministry ⁠official said the postponement came at the request of some ‌regional ​countries in a ⁠decision jointly made ‌by Tehran and Muscat.

Iran had said Foreign Ministers from regional countries would meet in Oman to discuss efforts by Iran and Oman, located on the other side of the strait, to manage shipping on it. But the

Commercial ship traffic remains low in the Strait of Hormuz as attacks continue on what was seen as an international waterway before the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.

Before the meeting in Oman was postponed, only Iraq had publicly confirmed plans to attend. Bahrain had said it would not attend, citing a lack of diplomatic relations with Tehran.

Since early in the war, Iran has expressed interest in having ships pay fees for transit. It has said traffic into the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s.

There had been some optimism in the region about the planned meeting, with hope that Gulf nations might use it to assert a collective response to a war they had no part in starting. For months, they have faced Iranian attacks that Tehran has claimed target U.S. military assets on their lands.

On Sunday (September 13, 2026), Iran’s President said he had a “good talk” over the weekend with a top official from the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of a global summit of leading developing nations.

Mr. Pezeshkian said he met with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, while attending the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

“We talked about issues of concern so that it’s possible to put the past behind us, to look toward the future and how we can build the future together,” Mr. Pezeshkian said. His comments were aired live on Iranian state television.

With inputs from AP, Reuters