Yemen fighting intensifies as government offensive meets Houthi resistance

The Big Picture

Fighting between Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement has intensified as government forces pursue a new campaign to reverse Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The escalation is deepening a humanitarian emergency in a country where more than 18 million people already faced acute food insecurity before the latest conflict, according to the World Food Programme. The UN migration agency said more than 184,000 people had been displaced since the beginning of August, including nearly 21,800 in the week ending Oct. 3 and another 6,474 on Oct. 4.

The World Health Organization has reported more than 5,100 casualties since Aug. 6, including 959 deaths, UN News said. Those figures cover the broader escalation and do not provide a breakdown by combatant or civilian status.

What Happened

Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced on Oct. 4 that government forces would begin military operations to retake Houthi-held territory and restore state authority nationwide. He said armed forces, security forces and military formations had been ordered to implement approved plans until the country was liberated from the Houthis.

The campaign followed a Houthi offensive in September that seized the port city of Mocha and strategic areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major shipping corridor linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Fighting has grown sharply since a fragile 2022 truce collapsed in July.

Government forces said they had captured Dhubab district and positions near the strait on Oct. 5. Houthi-run media denied that pro-government troops had made advances in the area, leaving the battlefield situation disputed. Government forces also claimed to have carried out 1,122 operations against Houthi targets and killed 1,747 fighters, but Al Jazeera said those casualty and battlefield claims could not be independently verified.

On Oct. 6, pro-government forces launched an operation in the mountainous al-Waziiya district, west of Taiz and east of Mocha. The army media center said its forces had secured hills overlooking al-Mansoura, while the Houthis said they had repelled the advance.

What Each Side Is Saying

The government says its offensive is intended to retake territory lost during the September Houthi advance. Its forces have reported large Houthi casualties in successive operations, including a claim that 474 attacks in 24 hours killed or wounded 1,540 Houthi fighters. The army did not report government casualties in that account.

Separately, sources from both sides told AFP that more than 70 people were killed over 24 hours in fighting in and around Taiz, including 34 government troops and 39 Houthi fighters, according to the Guardian.

The Houthis continue to contest government claims of advances and have expanded attacks into Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile headed toward Khamis Mushait on Oct. 6. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said attacks on airports in Jazan and Najran wounded three people that day.

Why It Matters

Taiz remains a critical front. The government-held city sits between Houthi-controlled northern Yemen and government-held southern areas, including Aden, where key state institutions are based. Multiple news organizations reported that the Houthis cut a major route linking Taiz and Aden, tightening pressure on the city even though it remains under government control.

The World Food Programme said fighting has blocked humanitarian access to parts of Taiz and Hudaydah, preventing aid agencies from reaching about 350,000 people previously assisted there. Nearly 150,000 people have been forced from their homes by fighting along the southwestern coast, the agency said.

Instability around Bab al-Mandab also has consequences beyond Yemen. The strait is a vital passage for food, fuel and commercial goods moving between Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. At least 3,700 Yemenis have crossed it to seek shelter in Djibouti, according to the WFP.