Yemen’s internationally recognised government says its forces have made significant gains against the Houthis as fighting has escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of a return to full-scale war. The government forces on Saturday said they had recaptured strategically located territory in Hodeidah province under Houthi control and advanced in western Taiz. However, the latest gains do not yet amount to a decisive shift in Yemen’s long-running war.
The Iran-aligned Houthis still control the capital, Sanaa, and several other cities, and have themselves recently advanced around Taiz as they seek to threaten the government-held port of al-Makha (Mocha) and move towards areas bordering the strategically vital Bab al-Mandeb strait, the chokepoint that connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea. The fighting comes amid a wider regional conflict involving Saudi Arabia, which is a key backer of the Yemeni government. Riyadh has carried out air strikes against positions recently captured by the Houthis, as the battle increasingly focuses on territory leading towards one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
The government forces have been fighting the Houthis across several fronts, with some of the heaviest clashes in Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, and along the western Red Sea coast. The SABA news agency, controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognised government, reported on Saturday that the Yemeni military had taken control of Hais district in Hodeidah, citing an unidentified military source. Hais is strategically located at the junction of Hodeidah, Taiz and Ibb provinces.
The Houthis have yet to comment on this latest development. The source also said government forces have regained areas around the al-Barh junction in western Taiz and advanced towards Houthi positions. Taiz is divided between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Fayad al-Numan, a Yemeni Information Ministry official, said government forces had also captured dozens of Houthi fighters during clashes in al-Jarahi district in southern Hodeidah. Clashes in Taiz killed more than 60 people, including civilians, on Saturday, the news agency reported. On Thursday, fighting erupted as Houthi forces launched a major offensive along front lines in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, using ballistic missiles, drones and artillery as ground forces attempted to advance towards government-held territory along the Red Sea coast.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that about 1,800 families have been displaced over the past two days as fighting escalated in Taiz. Fighting renewed in early August after months of calm when Yemeni government forces launched attacks on Houthi positions across multiple front lines. The Yemeni government re-established control over major southern and eastern territories following a Saudi-backed counteroffensive and the subsequent dissolution of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in January.
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