DUBAI/CAIRO, 18 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis exchanged fresh strikes across their border on Thursday as fighting spread to Yemen and Saudi Arabia, raising concerns over oil supplies and key shipping routes in the Middle East. Houthi-controlled television reported Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah province near the Saudi border and in the vicinity of Taiz, while Saudi civil defence said a Yemeni resident was killed by debris from a drone intercepted over the western city of Taif. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy also reported that a Togo-flagged oil tanker caught fire after being hit while attempting what it described as an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation has raised concerns over global energy supplies as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained and the Red Sea route faces additional security risks. The International Organization for Migration said more than 100,000 Yemenis had been displaced by the latest fighting, with some civilians fleeing across the Bab el-Mandeb strait by boat to Djibouti. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi called for an end to what he described as the Saudi blockade and occupation of Yemen. Meanwhile, the United States continues efforts to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz and has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran says the strait will remain closed until the US blockade is lifted.