G7 urges Houthis to end attacks as Yemen refugees flee to Djibouti
The G7 has called on the Houthis to stop attacks, the UK is giving defensive support to Saudi air operations, and about 130,000 Yemenis are displaced, with thousands fleeing to Djibouti.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The G7 has urged the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen to stop attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia immediately. The call came after the UK agreed to provide defensive military support to Saudi Arabia. British forces will help with air-to-air refuelling of Saudi jets that are intercepting drones and missiles.
The UN says recent fighting has forced nearly 130,000 people from their homes. Thousands have fled by boat across the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Djibouti. A camp in the small port town of Obock is housing 3,000 new arrivals from Yemen, and the UN is bracing for 7,000 more to arrive soon.
Refugees in Djibouti describe fleeing bombs, bullets and airstrikes as Yemen's Houthis fight Saudi-backed government forces. The war has spread down the Red Sea coast. Families say airstrikes terrify them most, not just the advance of the Houthi army. Qasem Absi, whose ID card says he is 100 years old, arrived with his wife Aisha last weekend. He says planes forced them to leave, and that they fled for the sake of their children. She says she would go back only if there is peace.
Children in the camp have suffered badly, according to parents. One parent says the children are frightened, screaming, cannot sleep and cannot eat. The sudden upsurge in fighting caught much of the world by surprise. Houthis have seized territory, Saudi warplanes have bombed them in return, and the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Diplomacy has so far failed to end the fighting, and there is little sign that refugees can return home soon.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| The UK agreed to provide defensive military support to Saudi Arabia, including air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets. | ||
| Recent fighting displaced nearly 130,000 people in Yemen, with thousands fleeing by boat to Djibouti. | · | |
| The G7 called on the Houthis to immediately stop attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News Now led with the G7 call and UK military support before turning to the refugee crisis in Djibouti. It used a correspondent's report from Obock to give refugees' testimony and stressed airstrikes as the main fear. The tone was sober and descriptive, with the humanitarian impact balanced against diplomatic and military developments.
- “G7 nations have called on Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen to stop their attacks in their homeland and Saudi Arabia immediately.”
- “British forces will help with air-to-air refuelling of Saudi jets, which are intercepting drones and missiles.”
- “Everybody you see here in this warehouse has come here from Yemen in the last 10 days, and they're telling me that the thing that terrifies them most are the airstrikes.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.