In the Yemeni desert battlefield, a war with global consequences is unfolding

The deep-rooted civil war in Yemen can no longer be ignored. But in the operating rooms of the port city of Aden, geopolitics seems far away.

By International Special Correspondent Orla Gurin, reporting from southwest Yemen

It was a high-speed trip through the desert - in a pickup truck with armed fighters in the back. We were traveling with Yemeni pro-government forces, catching glimpses of the Arabian Sea and forbidding mountain peaks in the distance. We were told that the Houthi rebels were pushed out of here a few days ago.

It's hard to see progress when you're fighting across vast expanses of empty desert. But these soldiers showed us the new sandbag defenses at Shab al-Jan in Lahj province - new lines in the sand.

"There was intense fighting," said Tawfiq al-Habbun, a bearded commander in camouflage.

"They have snipers, artillery and ballistic missile launchers."

Here in the far reaches of the Middle East, a war with global consequences is going on.

Yemen's entrenched civil war cannot be ignored now. It is part of a wider conflict, from Tehran to Riyadh, where missiles hit the international airport over the weekend. Yemen's Houthi fighters — already a threat to global shipping — are a growing threat to Saudi Arabia. And they provide leverage for their backers in Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival.

Tawfiq al-Habboun pointed to shards of fiberglass and shards of metal at his feet — part of a downed Houthi drone that he said was carrying C4 explosives.

Commander al-Haboun's southern forces are part of a loose — very loose — coalition of groups fighting for Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia and its airstrikes.

In 2014, the Houthis attacked Sana'a, the capital of this country, and overthrew the government. A year later, a coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia intervened and tried to drive the Houthis out of the region. Despite years of devastating airstrikes, this has not been effective.

The commander tells us that about 500 Houthi fighters remain on the heights overlooking a strategic sea corridor - Bab al-Mandeb - that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

The narrow waterway, so important for oil exports, was out of sight on our trip.

The Houthis captured this area after a lightning advance in September. The commander claims pro-government forces have retaken about 85 percent (the Houthis have denied losing territory in other areas, but not here, as far as our local sources know).

Until they take full control, there will be pressure on global oil supply and prices.

Later we heard that on the day of our visit there had been a fierce fight. Five military vehicles apparently collided with improvised explosive devices planted by the Houthis. It is not clear how many fighters were killed or injured.

As turmoil rages in international energy markets, the threat of starvation wears on the Yemeni people, who are forced to flee this latest wave of violence.

About 200,000 people have been driven from their homes since the escalation began in early September, according to the International Organization for Migration - all in the Arab world's poorest country.

As we left the area, we saw a scene of suffering with families huddled around seeking shelter under trees. Among a group of women and children, we saw Aisha, thin and old, sitting on the ground.

Frightened, he fled his home in the Kahboob Mountains - an area hit by Houthi drone strikes.

He told me: We have been here for 30 days.

"I have no animals, no money, no water, no food, not even a blanket... We had to flee with only the clothes on our backs."

Over the weekend, Saudi civilians were in action at Riyadh International Airport. The Houthi attack - the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade - sent shock waves through the region and shattered the kingdom's sense of security.

But in the operating rooms in Yemen's port city of Aden, geopolitics seems far away. Hospitals are overstretched and doctors are working day and night to treat wounded government fighters coming from the front lines.

We visited a military hospital where 51 wounded arrived in one day - many with gunshot wounds and some requiring amputation.

In a crowded section, a Houthi fighter lay next to fighters from the other side. Doctors tell us that they do not make any distinction.

"I don't care where he comes from, his background or his religion. He's a human being, so I have to treat him as a human being," said Dr Bassam Hazar.

Even if the war is over, some will never get over it. A man was sitting silently on his bed, a white bandage wrapped around the stump of his left arm and staples spinning on his crown.

Others have not lost their fighting spirit, such as Ahmed Ali Mahmoud, who is smiling and mobile despite multiple fractures.

"I'm not looking forward to a full recovery," she tells us.

I just want to be able to stand. I think it is a religious duty and a national duty [to return to war]. The Houthis have destroyed the country. "With my victory, I won't even feel these fractures."

In the next block is 12-year-old Ali, a brown-haired boy just a year older than Yemen's civil war. Ali was injured by a drone while walking on the street and faced a complicated surgery.

Dr. Amr Riaz Asqaf, who is standing by his bed, says: "There is shrapnel near his spine."

"This operation will not be easy, but God willing, our staff will be able to do it."

"He was depressed at first, but we gave him toys to play with and he gradually picked up," she says.

A ceasefire in 2022 brought a few years of relative peace. But now the Houthis are a stronger enemy, as they proved over the weekend. They currently control the majority of Yemen's population. If there is a new attempt at mediation — and there is speculation — a hard bargain could be struck.

As Dr. Bassam Hezar prepares for the next wave of casualties at the hospital, he hopes for change, but he doesn't expect it anytime soon.

"War may be good for the news, but it's terrible [for the people]," he says.

"Sons lose their fathers and mothers lose their sons. We need peace."