More than 60 people have been killed in clashes between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, as the Houthis advance in western Yemen. Medical and military sources told Agence France-Presse that 26 government troops and 31 Houthi fighters died during several hours of fighting on Saturday in the country’s south-west.
A missile strike killed six civilians and injured seven people travelling by bus in Taiz, where the fighting has intensified. The deaths follow 129 reported fatalities in fighting between the two sides on Friday, according to an AFP tally.
Why the fighting is focused on Taiz and the Red Sea coast
The Houthi offensive has continued in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah along the Red Sea coast. The movement is seeking to push back government troops and capture strategic hills overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait, potentially opening a route towards coastal port cities.
A government military officer in Taiz said the “coming hours will be decisive” after Houthi forces took positions near the city. Reinforcements were arriving from Aden, while government forces said on Friday that they had recaptured the al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills west of Taiz. For additional context, see “Government warplanes strike Houthi positions in Yemen fighting”.
What is at stake beyond the battlefield
Bab al-Mandeb is a maritime chokepoint for vessels travelling towards the Suez Canal, and about 10% of global maritime trade passes through the strait. A Houthi recapture of the port city of al-Makha and control of key Red Sea areas could give the movement greater influence over naval traffic.
The latest clashes come after the collapse in July of a ceasefire agreed in 2022. The truce broke down after an Iranian plane attempted to land at Houthi-controlled Sana’a airport, prompting Yemeni government attacks on the airport.
The wider humanitarian toll
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when Houthi and allied forces seized Sana’a and forced the government from power. A Saudi-led coalition later intervened to support the government against the Houthis, a strategic ally of Iran. A related part of this story is covered in “Fresh fighting in western Taiz forces Yemenis to flee again”.
At least 150,000 people have been killed in the conflict, while hundreds of thousands more have died from related causes including hunger and disease. About 4.5 million people have been displaced, and the UN says more than 18.2 million need urgent humanitarian assistance.
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