Yemen sees sharp military escalation

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has expanded air strikes and ground counterattacks against the Houthis as fighting spreads across Taiz, Hodeidah and other fronts near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Government warplanes carried out at least 15 strikes on September 5 against Houthi positions, gatherings and vehicles in Taiz and Hodeidah, according to the Yemeni military. Government-aligned forces then said on September 6 they had recaptured territory in Hodeidah province and advanced in western Taiz. The new clashes follow weeks of escalation after a 2022 truce reduced large-scale fighting. Al Jazeera, citing Yemeni military officials and earlier Reuters reporting, said government aircraft had already struck Houthi missile and drone launch sites in Marib and al-Jawf on July 25, and the runway at Sanaa airport on July 13 to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing. (aljazeera.com) ### Why is Bab al-Mandeb at the center of the fighting? Bab al-Mandeb is the strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and the latest fighting has concentrated on territory leading toward it. Al Jazeera reported that the Houthis have been advancing around Taiz, seeking to threaten the government-held port of al-Makha and move toward areas bordering the strait. (aljazeera.com) The port city of al-Makha and nearby western Red Sea coast positions matter because they overlook approaches to one of the world’s main shipping routes. A commercial vessel attack in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on August 12 killed six people and wounded 10, according to Yemen’s coastguard as cited by Al Jazeera, which said the Houthis claimed the ship was carrying weapons. (aljazeera.com) ### What exactly did the government do this week? September 5 brought the clearest step-up in government air power. The Yemeni military said its warplanes conducted at least 15 strikes in Taiz and Hodeidah in support of forces facing a Houthi offensive toward the Red Sea coast and Bab al-Mandeb. September 6 brought new claims of territorial gains. (aljazeera.com) Government forces said they had retaken strategically located ground in Hodeidah and moved forward in western Taiz, including in Hais district, according to reporting that cited the government-controlled SABA news agency. Al Jazeera said those gains did not yet amount to a decisive shift, noting that the Houthis still control Sanaa and several other cities. (aljazeera.com) ### Where are the other active fronts? Al-Jawf, Marib, Bayda and Dahle have also been drawn into the latest round of fighting. On September 7, Houthi-run authorities accused Saudi Arabia of striking a prison in al-Hazm in al-Jawf province, killing seven people and wounding at least seven more, according to Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi. Saudi Arabia had not commented, Al Jazeera reported. (aljazeera.com) The Houthis also said they had used ballistic missiles against Saudi supply trucks in Hadramout and shot down four Saudi reconnaissance drones in 24 hours, including a CH-4 drone, according to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree. Those claims were not independently confirmed in the cited reporting. ### What is Saudi Arabia’s role now? (aljazeera.com) Saudi Arabia remains the main external backer of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Al Jazeera reported that Riyadh had carried out air strikes against positions recently captured by the Houthis as the battle moved toward territory leading to Bab al-Mandeb. Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said in August that the government would not accept “a new truce that reproduces previous experiences,” according to SABA as cited by Al Jazeera. (aljazeera.com) He also said “no action by the Houthi militias will go unanswered or unchecked.” ### How does Iran enter the picture? (aljazeera.com) The Houthis are widely described in the cited reporting as Iran-aligned or pro-Iranian. Al Jazeera said the government’s July 13 strike on Sanaa airport was intended to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing, according to Yemeni government officials. Al Jazeera also linked the renewed Yemen fighting to the wider regional conflict and said the Houthis’ recent attacks in Bab al-Mandeb and on Saudi targets came as the group’s key ally, Iran, was under pressure elsewhere in the region. (aljazeera.com) That framing was attributed to analysts and to the outlet’s reporting, not to a new public statement from Tehran in the material reviewed. (aljazeera.com) ### What should a reader watch next? SABA statements, Houthi battlefield claims and any Saudi military comment are the next public indicators of whether the fighting widens further. The current pattern is a multi-front contest: government aircraft and ground forces pressing in Taiz and Hodeidah, Houthi attacks and counterclaims in al-Jawf and Hadramout, and both sides tying their operations to control of approaches to Bab al-Mandeb. (aljazeera.com 1) (aljazeera.com 2)