CNN published on 12 September 2026 an article titled "'A F***-up of Epic Proportions': Blame Game Begins after Iran-backed Houthis' Lightning Advance Down Red Sea Coast" by Nic Robertson and Lauren Kent.
The quick seizure of strategic Red Sea coastline by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has led to recriminations as to how it happened. There were no airstrikes by Saudi Arabia or the United States in support of Yemeni government forces to halt the Houthi advance. Yemen and the Red Sea now have the potential to become the second front in the Iran war.


