Yemen fighting kills or wounds nearly 900 as clashes intensify in Taiz and al-Jawf

According to the WHO, the fighting [in Yemen] has resulted in the death and injury of almost 900 people so far, with 670 of those casualties coming from Taiz and the west coast front.

Twenty thousand individuals and families have been displaced in Taiz, where most of the fierce clashes between Ansar Allah (the Houthis) and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government have taken place. Casualties are expected to increase, as these figures exclude today’s toll, which is set to reach the hundreds.

Reports indicate air attacks and fighting in the al-Jawf governorate. Ansar Allah accuses Saudi Arabia of carrying out the strikes in the province, while the Yemeni government has opened a new front in al-Jawf as part of a strategy to regain territorial integrity, particularly after losing ground on the western coast fronts. For the time being, the government is attempting to reclaim those territories by opening new fronts across strategic Ansar Allah positions in al-Jawf.

Al-Jawf governorate and Taiz form the endgame that both sides are fighting for. Al-Jawf serves as the gateway to the Yemeni capital, which is under Houthi control, while the fronts opened in western Taiz represent a push by the Houthis to gain control of the city and the Red Sea port city of al-Makha (Mocha).

Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition vows firm response after saying Houthi attacks injured 73 civilians

Seventy-three people, including women and children, have been injured in recent Houthi attacks on civilian and economic sites in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, which called the assault a “dangerous escalation”.

“The escalation by the terrorist Houthi militia and its attempts to target the Kingdom, its national assets, its citizens, and residents on its lands constitute a dangerous escalation that confirms the hostile and irresponsible approach of this terrorist militia,” said the coalition’s spokesperson, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki said the Houthi attacks were a flagrant violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and a direct threat to public safety. He added that the coalition’s Joint Forces Command would take all necessary operational measures to deter the Houthis and neutralize incoming threats.

Yemeni forces launch counteroffensive against Houthis, vow to retake Sanaa

Forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government have launched counterattacks against the Houthi rebels, with officials saying they aim to recapture the capital, Sanaa, more than a decade after the Iran-backed group seized it.

Major-General Samir Al-Sabri, Yemen’s deputy defence minister, said in remarks broadcast on state television on Monday that “the decision has been made to retake Sanaa”.

The announcement came as fighting intensified in the provinces of al-Bayda and al-Jawf, seen as the main gateway to the capital. The Houthis said seven people were killed in a strike on a prison in al-Hazm in al-Jawf.

IOM warns of escalating crisis in Yemen as clashes displace 18,500

Renewed fighting across Yemen’s Taiz and Hodeidah governorates has displaced roughly 18,500 people since hostilities sharply escalated on September 3, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The surge in displacement added severe pressure on urban centres and host communities across southern Taiz and the west coast, including al-Makha (Mokha), Hays, Mawza, al-Ma’afer, and Jabal Habashi, where local resources are already overstretched, the IOM said.

“Families are arriving with nothing: no shelter, no food, no way to know if it’s safe to go back,” said Abdusattor Esoev, the IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen.

“Many of these are people who have already been displaced once, twice, even four times before. Every time fighting flares up, they lose whatever little they had managed to rebuild.”

Relief efforts faced major bottlenecks due to road access issues caused by ongoing clashes and disrupted telecom networks, while emergency stocks of food and shelter remained severely depleted from recent flood responses, the IOM said. It urged donors to immediately fund response efforts and called on all warring parties to ensure safe passage for fleeing civilians and guarantee aid access.

Yemen’s conflict no longer domestic as regional tensions rise

Yemen’s government-aligned forces have launched counterattacks against the Iran-backed Houthis. An army spokesperson says the forces have seized new positions.

Hisham Al-Omeisy, senior Yemen adviser at the European Institute of Peace, says that Yemen’s government counteroffensive against the Houthis effectively ends the 2022 truce and deepens regional tensions.

"and deepens regional tensions."

We have always considered that the Saudi-backed government brought the war on Iran to Yemen by bombing the landing strip of Sana'a International Airport to prevent the landing of a plane carrying a Ansarullah Houthi delegation that was returning from Khamenei's funeral.

That's how the war in Yemen reignited.

Saudi Arabia says energy facilities in the south has been attacked

Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry says that several energy facilities and installations in the kingdom’s southern region have been targeted in the morning, reporting injuries.

A statement on X said that the attacks caused fires at several sites, temporarily halting some operations, adding that authorities are working to ensure the safety of facilities, personnel, and continuity of operations.

It also said that the damage is being assessed and injured people are receiving the necessary medical attention.

Happening in Yemen

• In western Taiz, the Houthis launched a surprise assault, seizing strategic ground and forcing government-aligned forces to pull back. The goal is to capture the main road linking Taiz to al-Makha (Mocha), potentially cutting a government supply route to the coast.
• The Houthis also want control of the Red Sea port of al-Makha (Mokha). If they succeed, they will strengthen their position near the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
• Fighting has also been going on in southern Hodeidah – one of the country’s humanitarian and economic lifelines, with several ports and terminals along the coast. Whoever controls this area has influence over the flow of food, oil and humanitarian aid into Yemen.
• Further inland, the Houthis are also looking to expand their position in Marib, which is home to some of Yemen’s most important oil and gas fields and is the government’s strongest military and economic stronghold. For the Houthis, capturing Marib would mean taking control of resources that help fund the government’s war effort.
• In central Yemen, government forces are trying to regain territory in al-Bayda, which remains under Houthi control.
• In the north, fighting has been reported in the al-Jawf governorate, which borders Saudi Arabia. The area sits along the road that leads to the capital, Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control for years. Making gains there could give the government forces a northern route towards the capital.

GCC strongly condemns Houthi ‘extremist criminal’ attacks on Saudi Arabia

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has strongly condemned Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia in a statement, denouncing them for “deliberately targeting civilians and facilities”.

The council called the attacks an “extremist criminal approach” which threatens “the region’s security and stability”.

It also said the repeated attacks “reveal the malicious intentions” of the Houthis and their refusal of peace and stability in Yemen.

Kuwait condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has released a statement condemning Yemen’s Houthi militia attacks on Saudi Arabia.

In a statement on X, it called the attacks “a blatant violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and a direct threat to the security and safety of its citizens”.

Affirming its solidarity with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait supported “all measures it takes to preserve its sovereignty”.

The attacks are “a breach of international law and international humanitarian law, and a dangerous and unjustified escalation that undermines regional security and stability”, according to the statement.

Saudi Arabia likely to retaliate for Houthi attacks but rules out prolonged war: Expert

Earlier, more than 70 people have been injured and several oil facilities have been hit in a wave Houthi attacks in the south of Saudi Arabia. According to Saudi political analyst Khaled Batarfi the strikes will trigger a response but not a prolonged war.

“This is an escalation of course,” Bartafi said. In past attacks Saudi Arabia “was trying to not get engaged in a civil war, keep its distance and not to respond to attacks. But now this is too much,” he said.

“The coalition will have a say on that,” he said, referring to the Saudi-led coalition that backs the internationally recognized government in Yemen.

Bartafi added that the Saudi response would be against the Yemeni party that attacked the kingdom. “But I don’t see a prolonged war, not with Iran and not with the Houthi,” he said.

What's the war in Yemen

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government launch counterattacks against the Houthi rebels, with officials saying they aim to recapture the capital, Sanaa, from the Iran-backed group.

• Saudi Arabia has carried out new strikes in Yemen’s Marib governate. Latest attacks targeted al-Jubah district in Marib in the Houthi-controlled part of Yemen, according to a news report in Houthi-run media.
• Forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government have launched a counteroffensive against the Houthi rebels, with officials saying they aim to recapture the capital Sanaa from the Iran-backed group.
• The Houthis say they repelled an offensive in al-Jawf, and at least seven people were killed in an air strike on a prison in the town of al-Hazm, pledging the “aggression will not go unpunished”.
• Saudi Foreign Minister Prince ⁠Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has described Yemen’ Houthi rebels as “selfish” for putting their own interests above the welfare of the country’s people. “The Houthis choose to prioritize their narrow interests over the interests of Yemen and resort to violence,” he said at a press conference in the Russian capital.
• Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told his ⁠Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in Moscow that Russia is ready to help resolve the spiraling situation in the Middle ⁠East.

Houthis aim to maximize leverage as US-Iran talks stall

Ibrahim Jalal, senior researcher on Yemen and the Gulf, says the “Houthis have been escalating on three fronts for about the past month,” referring to attacks on Saudi Arabia, shipping in the Red Sea, and territorially within Yemen.

Jalal said that this is to “maximise their leverage on the Red Sea and maritime security when US-Iran talks have been stalling”.

In regard to the Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye defence pact, Jalal said that Saudi allies could potentially offer greater intelligence sharing and tactical support, which would bring “strategic outright advantages that could alter the military balance”. Adding that the Houthis “have disrupted maritime trade for the third time, this is an international issue”.

EU condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

The EU strongly condemned the Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and expressed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, spokesperson for EU foreign affairs and security policy, Anouar El Anouni, said the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure is “unacceptable.”

“These attacks constitute a dangerous escalation, violate international law, undermine regional security and stability and risk further jeopardising efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Yemen,” a statement read.

“We call on the Houthis to immediately end all attacks inside and outside Yemen, including attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” it said, adding that peace and stability in Yemen were “essential for the security of the Gulf region and the Red Sea”.

“The European Union remains firmly committed to supporting the people of Yemen and to working with the United Nations, regional partners and the international community towards de-escalation and a comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable peace,” the statement read.

US embassy in Yemen says Houthis ‘must bear the consequences of their aggression’

The US embassy in Yemen says that the Houthis started the ongoing conflict and they “must bear the consequences of their aggression”.

In a social media post, the embassy said that the Yemeni government “has every right to defend its people and end the Houthis’ ability to inflict terror”.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia likewise has the right to defend its territory and citizens and support Yemen’s legitimate government in ending Houthi terrorism,” the embassy added.

Yemen’s army says Houthi attack repelled on Maris front

Yemen’s army says it repelled a Houthi attack on the Maris front in the southern province of al-Dhale.

It added in a post on X that its forces launched a counterattack on Houthi positions on the front, without elaborating.