Houthi fighters clash with Yemeni government forces in country’s southwest

What the report says

Yemeni government forces and Houthi fighters clashed on several fronts west of Taiz province in southwestern Yemen, according to Al Jazeera, as the Houthi movement broadened its offensive along the Red Sea coast. The fighting centered on attempts to reach and disrupt the road between Taiz and al-Makha, a route that helps connect the inland city to the coast and supports government logistics.

Al Jazeera reported that the Houthis tried to advance toward al-Makha and briefly entered some areas before government forces said they pushed them back in parts of the front. The Yemeni Army Media Centre said the Houthis fired ballistic missiles and drones, attacked army positions in the Maqbanah Mountains, and tried to infiltrate several nearby locations. The same report said more than 18 Houthi fighters were killed, with others wounded or captured, while AFP cited unnamed military sources saying 13 government troops were killed. A local officer in al-Makha said his unit was repelling a large assault and had stopped a booby-trapped boat attack near the port.

The clashes are significant because al-Makha sits near a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast, and control there could affect supply lines and maritime access. The fighting also comes amid rising tension after a 2022 truce that had mostly held, but whose wider peace process has slowed. In general background, Yemen’s war began after the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and later drew in a Saudi-led intervention, leaving the country divided and vulnerable to renewed escalation.