胡塞武装控制红海岛屿致沙特输油管线停运数周

S SEIZED MORE ISLANDS IN THE STRATEGICALLY CRUCIAL BAB AL MANDEB STRAIT TODAY, AND NOW CONTROL THE WEST COAST OF THE COUNTRY ON THE RED SEA. MEANTIME, A CRUCIAL PIPELINE IN SAUDI ARABIA WILL BE OUT OF COMMISSION FOR WEEKS AFTER IT WAS ATTACKED LAST WEEK, SENDING OIL PRICES EVER HIGHER. HERE'S ALI ROGIN. ALI: TODAY, MORE HOUTHI ATTACKS AGAINST SAUDI ARABIA. YEMENI FIGHTERS SAY THEY HIT SAUDI ARABIA'S KHAMIS MUSHAIT AIR BASE, AND SAUDI ARABIA SAYS A HOUTHI PROJECTILE WOUNDED TWO PEOPLE AND DAMAGED A MOSQUE IN THE SAUDI PORT CITY OF JAZAN.

JUST THE LATEST IN THE PAST WEEK, WITH HUNDREDS HURT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER. AND AS THE CONFLICT REIGNITES, RIYADH HAS TURNED TO THE U.S. FOR HELP. BUT SO FAR, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS NOT ANSWERED A CALL FOR AMERICAN AIRSTRIKES. AND OVER THE WEEKEND, HE SAID THE U.S. HAS BEEN TALKING TO THE HOUTHIS DIRECTLY. PRES. TRUMP: WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS. THE HOUTHIS CALLED US, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO FIGHT WITH US. THEY LET US KNOW THEY DON'T WANT TO FIGHT WITH US.

THEY DON'T WANT ME TO GO AFTER THEM. THEY DON'T WANT US TO GO AFTER THEM. BUT THEY'VE CALLED, AND THEY'VE TALKED TO US, AND THEY DON'T WANT US TO. THEY WOULD MUCH PREFER NOT HAVING US INVOLVED. AND THEY'RE LETTING MOST SHIPS GO THROUGH. THERE'S JUST ONE COUNTRY THAT THEY'RE NOT TOO HAPPY WITH AND WE'LL GET THAT STRAIGHTENED OUT. ALI: INSIDE YEMEN, HOUTHIS SEIZED MORE ISLANDS NEAR THE CRUCIAL BAB AL MANDEB STRAIT -- THE CHOKEPOINT THROUGH WHICH ROUGHLY 1/10TH OF GLOBAL TRADE SAILS.

AND SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN AN ADVANCE MET WITH LITTLE PUSHBACK CAPTURING MORE TERRITORY WITHOUT REAL RESISTANCE FROM SAUDI-BACKED YEMENI FORCES. THE HOUTHIS BEEN EXPANDING THEIR CONTROL OVER WESTERN YEMEN ALONG THE RED SEA. THEY'RE FREEING PRISONERS ONCE HELD BY SAUDI-BACKED FORCES. AND CELEBRATING IN SANAA, THE HOUTHI CAPITAL. TODAY, THEY EXPANDED THEIR REACH AGAIN, CAPTURING THE ISLANDS OF GREATER AND LESSER HANAISH, 100 MILES NORTH OF THE STRAIT GIVING THEM EVEN MORE LEVERAGE OVER SAUDI SHIPPING ROUTES OUT OF THE RED SEA.

IT FOLLOWS LAST WEEK'S SEIZURE OF THE PORT OF MOKHA AND THE ISLAND OF MAYUN INSIDE THE STRAIT ITSELF THAT SPARKED GLOBAL ALARM OVER WHO CONTROLS IT. AND IT MATTERS EVEN MORE NOW, WITH IRAN AND THE U.S. STILL BATTLING OVER THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. SAUDI-BACKED YEMENI FORCES ARE TRYING TO REGROUP AND FIGHT BACK.

WHAT HAPPENED IS A DEEPLY PAINFUL EVENT FOR US, AND IT STEMS FROM REASONS THAT WILL BE THOROUGHLY DISCUSSED. EVEN THE FORCES THAT WITHDREW FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER ARE CURRENTLY REGROUPING, GOD WILLING, AND WILL RETURN TO THE BATTLE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. ALI: A CRUCIAL SAUDI OIL PIPELINE WENT DOWN AFTER IT WAS STRUCK LAST WEEK IN AN ATTACK RIYADH BLAMED ON IRAN BACKED MILITIAS IN IRAQ. IT WILL TAKE WEEKS TO FIX.

THE KINGDOM HAD LEANED ON THAT PIPELINE, 745 MILES COAST TO COAST, TO MOVE CRUDE AWAY FROM THE BLOCKADED PERSIAN GULF AND OUT THROUGH THE RED SEA. NOW THAT ROUTE, TOO, IS UNDER THREAT. THE HOUTHIS AND SAUDIS FOUGHT A NEARLY DECADE-LONG WAR THAT,