In Yemen, the U.N. Refugee Agency warns that up to 230,000 people could be displaced if fighting continues between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthi militias. On Monday, Yemen’s military said it struck Houthi soldiers and supply lines near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The claim came as video showed a massive explosion at a market in Yemen’s southern Lahj province; a second explosion tore through the same area an hour later. The Houthis said the blasts were the result of Saudi airstrikes, while Yemen’s government blamed Houthi ballistic missiles. 

Meanwhile, The New York Times is reporting that President Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare strikes on Yemen after a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last Thursday, only to reverse course at the last minute on Sunday, even as soldiers were loading bombs onto warplanes. The Times reports most of Trump’s inner circle was either deeply skeptical or outright opposed to joining the Saudi fight against the Houthis.