Yemen Fighting Kills Over 140 as Houthis Push Toward Red Sea

A dormant front erupts again

At least 141 combatants were reported killed between midday Saturday and early Sunday as forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government battled Houthi fighters in the southwest. Government military officials said 84 troops died, most in missile attacks, while Houthi military sources put their losses at 57; the figures could not be independently verified.newarab +1

The losses came during an offensive that began Thursday, when the Houthis pushed toward the government-held Red Sea port of Mokha and territory near the Bab al-Mandab strait. An AFP tally based on military and medical sources put the toll since the offensive began at more than 300 combatants and some civilians.newarab Fighting eased early Sunday, but the sides claimed advances on different parts of the front: government forces north of Hays and the Houthis west of Taiz.newarab +1

Coastal gains carry consequences beyond Yemen

The battle is centered on routes connecting Taiz, Hodeidah and the Red Sea coast. Government forces reported at least 15 airstrikes on Houthi positions on Friday, while a missile hit the Hayjat al-Abd road in southern Taiz, killing four people and injuring 10 as passenger vehicles traveled through the area.10net Nearly 1,800 families were displaced over two days, according to a UN humanitarian office figure cited in regional reporting.ynetnews

Mokha has already endured weeks of pressure. Missile and drone attacks on the city in August killed seven people in one wave after an earlier barrage killed at least 11, damaging port infrastructure and commercial supplies.aljazeera Days later, Yemeni authorities said a Houthi attack on a small cargo vessel in the Bab al-Mandab killed six people, the first known shipping deaths in the latest round of fighting.cbc

A shipping chokepoint raises the stakes

Bab al-Mandab links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, making control of the approaches to Mokha consequential for both Yemen’s war and international trade. Its importance has grown while commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, increasing reliance on the Red Sea route for Saudi oil exports.newarab +1

The escalation has shattered the relative calm that followed a UN-brokered truce in 2022. The formal agreement expired that year, but nationwide warfare stayed subdued until renewed attacks spread across several provinces.ynetnews With Saudi Arabia backing the government and Iran supporting the Houthis, further territorial advances could draw the conflict more tightly into the region’s broader confrontation. For civilians and shipping operators, the immediate risk is that a localized offensive becomes a sustained fight along one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors.aljazeera +1