Yemeni refugees flee across Bab al-Mandab as fighting with Houthis intensifies

Thousands of Yemeni refugees have fled by boat across the Bab al-Mandab Strait to northern Djibouti, escaping intensified fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed pro-government forces. The BBC's Frank Gardner interviewed refugees, including a fisherman from the front-line town of Dhubab, who described fleeing to save their children from the terror of airstrikes. The report notes the conflict is escalating, with the US weighing renewed military action against the Houthis. The article also reports that US President Donald Trump came close to ordering a new American military campaign against the Houthis this weekend, after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally urged him to intervene, but called off the planned strikes as they were nearing execution, according to The New York Times. Trump had spent roughly two weeks weighing repeated Saudi appeals for US military assistance against the Iran-backed Houthis, whose renewed offensive has expanded the conflict in Yemen and increased pressure on Saudi Arabia.