Nearly 50,000 Yemeni civilians flee as Houthis advance along Red Sea coast

BREAKING: Nearly 50,000 Yemeni civilians flee as Iran-backed Houthis advance down the Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive.

Nearly fifty thousand Yemeni civilians are fleeing their homes right now. The Houthis are pushing down the Red Sea coast in what's being described as a lightning offensive, and families are moving with whatever they can carry.

These are the fighters driving the advance, and you can see them here. The Houthis are backed by Iran, and they've held much of northern Yemen for years. This push takes them along a coastline that matters far beyond Yemen's borders.

The Red Sea is one of the world's busiest shipping corridors, and the port of Hodeidah sits on that same coast. It is the lifeline for food and aid into a country that was already living through one of the worst humanitarian crises on earth.

Fifty thousand people on the move, and the offensive has not stopped. That is where this stands tonight.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.