WHO Reports 680 Casualties in Yemen Fighting Between September 13-18 as Saudi-Houthi War Intensifies, Cumulative Toll Since August 6 Reaches 3,672

The World Health Organization reported that 680 people were killed or injured across Yemen between September 13 and September 18, with 164 deaths and 516 injuries recorded for that week, according to a WHO situation report dated September 20. This brings the cumulative total of casualties since August 6 to 3,672, comprising 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries. The week's deaths-to-injuries ratio rose to 24 percent for the September 13-18 period compared with 17 percent previously, and on September 15 deaths exceeded injuries, which WHO said could indicate limitations in access to timely trauma and surgical care. The intensifying fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces reflects a new phase in the conflict. Yemen's internationally recognized government said on September 21 that its forces targeted Houthi fighters and supply lines in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb area overlooking the Red Sea and in Bayda province in central Yemen, according to CNN reporting. The Houthis claimed on September 18 that Saudi Arabia carried out 26 attacks against areas under their control in the previous 24 hours, according to AFP and Al Jazeera reporting. Separately, the group also claimed on September 18 that Saudi attacks on Houthi-held territory had reached 300 over the prior week, hitting positions across the areas it controls, AFP reported. Saudi Arabia said one person was killed in Taif governorate after a Houthi drone was intercepted, while Houthi-linked media reported deaths from Saudi attacks in Taiz and the town of Abs earlier in the week. Trump's decision on September 20 to pull back from launching airstrikes against the Houthis at the last minute, following a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has left Saudi Arabia and Yemen's government handling the Houthis largely on their own, according to analysts quoted by CNN. The inconsistency in the US position vis-à-vis Tehran's proxies means the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia have had