The lightning advance of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in Yemen CAIRO -- As Houthi rebels closed in, Eshraq Abdel Gelil and her husband fled their home, walking through the mountains before catching a ride to a nearby city. Four months pregnant, she feared another miscarriage. They are among more than 125,000 people who have fled as the Iran-backed rebels have advanced down the Red Sea coast to a key maritime chokepoint.
The offensive, linked to the wider Iran war, has threatened Saudi oil exports, pushed up global fuel prices and rattled markets. The cost has been far greater for Yemenis caught in the crossfire. Many have fled their homes with only what they could carry.
The Arab world’s poorest country was pushed to the brink of famine in an earlier phase of the civil war, which killed an estimated 150,000 people. A Saudi-led blockade, along with the Houthis’ repressive rule and detention of U.N. and aid workers, has made life miserable in the now-expanding territory under rebel control. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, weak and fragmented, has struggled to push them back.
Abdel Gelil is now sheltering with family in the southwestern city of Taiz, while others are sleeping in the streets or erecting makeshift tents out of plastic. Her husband, Mohamed Thabet, said the latest fighting was “extremely fierce” and more intense than a battle in 2017 that had also forced him to flee. They walked for 5 kilometers (3 miles) before taking a vehicle for around 60 kilometers (37 miles) on mountain roads.
When they arrived in Taiz, a doctor told them that the baby had moved lower in the womb. Abdel Gelil miscarried at the same point in a previous pregnancy. Now they are packed into a home with extended family.
They can only afford to eat twice a day, and they worry that Abdel Gelil is not getting enough nutrients for her and the baby. Thabet also worries about his sister, who hasn't been able to afford her diabetes medication for over a month. She and her two daughters, 8 and 13, have a blood condition that makes them susceptible to anemia, he said.
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