DEVELOPING: Yemen forces INTENSIFY operations against Houthi rebel takeover

BRIAN WE GOT AN UPDATE OUT OF. THE MIDDLE EAST. YEMENESE STEPPING UP AGAINST THE. HOUTHI REBELS ALONG THE RED SEA. AFTER IRAN BACKED TERROR GROUP. CAPTURED THE PORT CITY OVER IN. YEMEN. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. STEVE HARRIGAN IS LIVE IN TEL. AVIV WITH THE LATEST. STEVE? >> Steve: BRIAN, THIS IS A BIG. DEAL AND A STRAIT THAT REALLY. CONTROLS ABOUT 12% OF THE. WORLD'S OIL. RIGHT NOW THE HOUTHIS ARE TRYING. TO TAKE CONTROL OF THAT WE HAVE.

SEEN A LOT OF GAINS BY HOUTHI. FIGHTERS IN THE PAST WEEK THINK. ARE BACKED BY IRAN AND ATTACKING. SAUDI ARABIA. SAUDI INFRASTRUCTURE, OIL. PIPELINE AND SAUDI SHIPPING. THEY ARE GAINING TERRITORY ALL. ALONG THIS KEY STRAIT, IF THEY. GET THAT IT COULD BE A REAL. LOGJAM. SO FAR YEMEN FORCE, THE. GOVERNMENT FORCES HAVE BEEN. UNABLE TO DISLODGE HOUTHI. FIGHTERS SO, YOU HAVE A REAL. SCENE OF CHAOS IN THE MIDDLE OF. THE GROUND. MIDDLE OF THE FIGHTING TENS OF. THOUSANDS OF CIVIL YAPS JUST.

TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE. CARNAGE. >> WE FLED THE WAR. MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE. WE ESCAPE WITH ONLY OUR LIVES. LEAVING EVERYTHING BEHIND. AND NOW LOOK AT US. WE ARE TORMENTED AND SHAKEN TO. OUR CORPS. WE LONG FOR BASIC AND WE LONG. FOR SAFETY. >> SO A POSSIBLE SECOND FRONT. OPENING UP ALONG THIS STRAIT RED. SEA AND ALSO IN THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ MORE VIOLENCE OVER THE.

WEEKEND. ONE OF THE COMMERCIAL VESSELS. WAS HIT BY A PROJECTILE. U.S. CENT SOME SAYS SINCE THEIR. BLOCKADE BEGAN THEY HAVE TURNED. AROUND MORE THAN 100 IRANIAN. VESSELS. BRIAN, BACK TO YOU. >> Brian: THANKS SO MUCH, STEVE. FAST MOVING SITUATION THERE. DEFINITELY AFFECTING THE OIL. PRICES. MEANWHILE PRESIDENT TRUMP TYING. THE HIGH COST OF DIESEL WITH THE. WAR IN UKRAINE HERE IS HIS. MESSAGE FOR UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT. ZELENSKYY. >> THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH. UKRAINE AND RUSSIA IS THAT, YOU. KNOW, A LOT OF THE THE DIESEL. OIL COMES.

THAT'S THE ONE WHERE THERE IS A. BIG UP. COMES FROM RUSSIA RUSSIA PLANTS. ARE BEING HIT BY UKRAINE. AND I HAVE ASKED PRESIDENT. ZELENSKYY NOT TO HIT THE DIESEL. PLANTS. DIESEL IS BEING DRIVEN UP BY THE. FACT THAT IT'S HAVING A HARD. TIME COMING OUT OF RUSSIA. AND THAT'S THE CASE THAT HURTS. THE WORLD. WE HAVE GOT STOP. >> Brian: IT ALSO HURTS THE. RUSSIAN BANK ACCOUNTS TOO AND. THAT'S GOOD. SENIOR FELLOW HUDSON INSTITUTE.

REMEMBER CAN A HEINRICH JOINS US. NOW. I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PRESIDENT. IS SAYING. BIG PICTURE, NOT THE CONCERN OF. THE UKRAINIANS. GOT TO STOP THE RUSSIAN WAR. MACHINE AND THAT'S WHAT FUELS. IT? >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT, BRIAN. ALSO NOT AMERICAN INTEREST FOR. UKRAINIANS TO STOP HITTING. RUSSIAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE. THE REASON THAT UKRAINIANS ARE. HITTING RUSSIAN ENERGY. INFRASTRUCTURE IS AS YOU SAY, BRIAN, ONE, THAT'S WHAT FUNDS. THE RUSSIAN WAR MANN AND. PERPETUATES THE WAR. NUMBER THE TWO UKRAINIANS ARE. HITTING THIS BECAUSE NOW THE.

RUSSIAN PEOPLE ARE FINALLY. FEELING THE EFFECTS OF PUTIN'S. DECISION TO LAUNCH THIS WAR. THERE ARE LONG LINES AT THE GAS. PUMP. SO THIS IS WHAT WE WANT THE. RUSSIAN PEOPLE TO START SQUEEZES. THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TO COMPEL. THE RUSSIANS TO STOP AND. REMEMBER LAST POINT, BRIAN, THE. RUSSIANS BACKED IRAN. SO PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS ALL THE. INTEREST IN THE WORLD FOR THE. UKRAINIANS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AGAINST THE POWER THAT IS. BACKING THE COUNTRY THAT WE ARE. AT WAR WITH TODAY. >> Brian: THEY'RE GIVING LOGICAL. INFORMATION AS WELL AS MISSILE.

TECHNOLOGY AND POSSIBLY RAW. MATERIAL TO REBUILD THEIR. MISSILE PROGRAM AND TARGET OUR. BASES. WHO CARES IF THEIR REFINERIES. ARE BLOWN UP. IN FACT, THAT'S THE QUICKEST WAY. TO END THIS CONFLICT. >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. I MEAN, REMEMBER, I SUPPORT. PRESIDENT TRUMP'S DESIRE TO END. THIS WAR THAT RUSSIA STARTED. AGAINST UKRAINE. BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IN A WAY THAT. ACTUALLY WORKS. YOU CAN'T PRESSURE ZELENSKYY AND. UKRAINIANS TO BACK OFF OR TO. SLOW DOWN WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO.

PUT PRESSURE ON THE RUSSIANS. YOU HAVE WANT THE RUSSIAN. ECONOMY TO BE SQUEEZED. YOU WANT TO DRY UP THE RUSSIAN. WAR MACHINE AND YOU WANT TO. INFLICT HIGH PAIN AND COST ON. THE RUSSIANS FOR CAUSING THIS. GLOBAL DISRUPTION AND THIS. LARGEST WAR IN EUROPE, REALLY. SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR. REALLY PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD BE. WISE TO SWITCH HIS STRATEGY HERE. AND TO BACK UKRAINE. GO PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY AND SAY. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU NEED? YOU WANT ME TO PUT MORE PRESSURE. ON THE RUSSIANS? GREAT, LET'S DO IT. LET'S GET YOU SOME MISSILE. DEFENSE INTERCEPTORS.

BRIAN, VLADIMIR PUTIN FEARS. PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE UNITED. STATES OF AMERICA. WE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN. GET HIM TO STOP THIS WAR. >> Brian: I KNOW. ABSOLUTELY. WEAVE HAVE THE INTERCEPTORS, TOO. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE HOUTHI. REBELS. THEY CONTACTED THE PRESIDENT AND. SAY LOOK, MY PROBLEM IS NOT WITH. YOU GUYS. DON'T BOMB US. PROBLEMS WITH THE SAUDIS AND THE. YEMENI GOVERNMENT. TOO BAD IT IS OUR PROBLEM YOU. ARE SHUTTING DOWN OTHER STRAIT. ON THE RED SEA, STOPPING OIL. FROM FLOWING WHILE BLOWING UP. THE SAUDI PIPELINE REDISTRICTING.

OIL OUT OF THE STRAIT. IT IS OUR PROBLEM. THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP US AT. BAY. WHAT WOULD YOU DO? >> YEAH. IT IS OUR PROBLEM. AND BY THE WAY THE HOUTHIS ARE. ONLY SAYING THAT IT'S UNRELATED. TO WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH IRAN. BUT THAT, OF COURSE, IS A LIE. SECRETARY RUBIO EVEN HINTED AT. THIS. HE SAID, LOOK. THE HOUTHIS ARE SUPPLIED BY AND. FUNDED BY PROBABLY DIRECTED BY. THE IRANIAN REGIME. AND SO THIS REALLY HAVE A PART. OF THE IRANIAN STRATEGY TO OPEN. UP THIS OTHER FRONT. AND TO FURTHER SQUEEZE GLOBAL. ENERGY SUPPLIES.

BECAUSE THE AL BOB MEN DEB. STRAIGHT NOT MUCH GLOBAL. INDUSTRY PASSES THROUGH THAT AS. THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. WE NEED OIL TO FLOW THROUGH. THERE BECAUSE THE U.N. RANstIANS ARE TRYING TO U. RESTRICT STRAIT OF HORMUZ. THIS IS ANOTHER FRONT THAT THE. IRANIANS ARE OPEN BY SUPPLYING. TO YOUR POINT, BRIAN, THIS IS. STILL THE SAME WAR AND STILL THE. AMERICANS' PROBLEM AS WELL. >> Brian: WE ARE PUTTING. TREMENDOUS PRESSURE. PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS AS.

PREDICTED LAST WEEK. THEY ARE ESCALATING THE HOPE. THAT WE BLINK. I THINK WE HAVE TO RECLAIM THAT. STRAIT FROM THE HOUTHIS AND WE. HAVE TO PLAY A ROLE. SAUDIS OUR ALLY IN THIS. SITUATION. THEY ARE ALSO USING THE IRANIAN. MILITIAS IN IRAQ TO CONTINUE TO. FOMENT UNREST IN THE AREA. WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY THAT FULLY, TOO. >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. AND THE SAUDIS WILL GET SOME. GREATER RESOLVE. THEY WILL FIND THEIR SPINE TO BE. TOUGHER. WHEN THEY KNOW THAT THE UNITED. STATES IS COMPLETELY COMMITTED.

AND IS UNWAVERING AND. UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS IS OUR. FIGHT AS MUCH AS IT IS THEIRS. THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TIME. AND AGAIN WITH THE GULF STATES, BRIAN. THEY GET STRONGER AND MORE. COURAGEOUS TO FIGHT BACK MORE. WHEN THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THE. UNITED STATES IS NOT GOING TO. SURRENDER. WE'RE NOT GOING TO HIT THE. BRAKES. WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO SOMETHING. LIKE THE MOU THAT WE TRIED FOR A. FEW WEEKS BUT THE IRANIANS. DIDN'T ABIDE BY THAT WHILE THAT. ALLOWED FOR IRANIAN OIL TO GET. BACK ON THE MARKET. WE'RE DONE DOING THAT PRESIDENT. TRUMP WAS RIGHT TO SAY WE'RE NOT. GOING TO DO THAT AGAIN.

THAT -- MAKING THAT COMMITMENT. AND COMMITTING TO THE SAUDIS IS. HOW YOU GET THE SAUDIS TO PUSH. BACK AND TAKE CARE OF THIS OTHER.