Escalating Clashes in Yemen Raise Fears of Full-Scale War Amid Strategic Houthi and Government Gains

Fighters loyal to Yemen's internationally-recognised government ride in a pick-up truck in the Hais district, south of Hodeidah, Yemen on September 5, 2026. Yemen’s internationally recognised government reports that its forces have secured significant gains against the Houthis as fighting intensifies, heightening concerns of a return to full-scale war.

Government forces announced on Saturday the recapture of strategically important territory in Hodeidah province from Houthi control, alongside advances in western Taiz. Despite these developments, the recent shifts do not yet represent a decisive turning point in Yemen’s protracted conflict. The Iran-aligned Houthis maintain control over the capital, Sanaa, and several other cities, and have recently mounted their own advances around Taiz to threaten the government-held port of al-Makha and push toward areas near the vital Bab al-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea.

This renewed fighting unfolds against the backdrop of a broader regional conflict involving Saudi Arabia, a primary backer of the Yemeni government. Riyadh has launched air strikes against positions recently captured by the Houthis as military focus shifts toward territory near critical shipping routes.

What is the latest fighting on the ground?

Government forces have engaged the Houthis across multiple fronts, experiencing heavy clashes in Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, as well as 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 secured control of Hais district in Hodeidah, citing an unidentified military source.

Hais occupies a strategic junction connecting Hodeidah, Taiz, and Ibb provinces. The Houthis have not yet issued a comment regarding this development. Furthermore, the source noted that government forces have reclaimed areas surrounding the al-Barh junction in western Taiz and advanced on Houthi positions. Taiz remains divided between Houthi control and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

Fayad al-Numan, an official from the Yemeni Information Ministry, stated that government forces also captured dozens of Houthi fighters during clashes in the al-Jarahi district of southern Hodeidah. Clashes in Taiz resulted in more than 60 deaths, including civilians, on Saturday, according to the AFP news agency.

On Thursday, fighting flared as Houthi forces launched a major offensive along front lines in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, utilizing ballistic missiles, drones, and artillery while ground troops attempted to advance toward government-held territory along the Red Sea coast. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that approximately 1,800 families have been displaced over the past two days amid the escalation in Taiz.

Hostilities resumed in early August following months of relative calm, triggered by Yemeni government attacks on Houthi positions across multiple front lines. The Yemeni government previously 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, with the ultimate objective of unifying Yemen under a single administration.

However, the Houthis have pressed forward toward government-held areas near al-Makha and territory bordering the Bab al-Mandeb strait, backed by reinforcements and counteroffensives. This escalation breaks a period of relative stability that had persisted since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022, which had paused major fighting following the Houthis' capture of much of the country, including Sanaa, in 2014.

Are Yemen’s forces regaining control?

The capture of Hais holds potential significance due to its position linking Hodeidah, Taiz, and Ibb, while advances near al-Barh could assist government forces in pushing back Houthi units in western Taiz. Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi asserted that Yemen’s armed forces are fully capable of restoring control over the entire country and warned that Houthi miscalculations would result in their complete collapse.

Nevertheless, analysts indicate it is premature to classify these events as a definitive shift in control. Soldiers loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government maintain positions near pick-up trucks in the Hais district, south of Hodeidah, as of September 5, 2026. The Houthis had likewise seized positions near Taiz shortly before the government counteroffensive, an AFP military source reported. Houthi forces continue attempts to cut off the government-held port of al-Makha and advance toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The severity of government casualties underscores the heavily contested nature of the battlefield, with twenty-six government soldiers killed in several hours of fighting on Saturday alone, according to AFP military sources.

What is Saudi’s role in the conflict?

The current escalation is increasingly intertwined with the wider regional conflict linked to the US-Israel war on Iran. The Iran-backed Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in July, targeting Saudi vessels and territory, while Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes against Houthi positions in Taiz.

The Bab al-Mandeb strait has gained heightened importance following Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. The Hormuz blockade has provoked a global energy crisis and turbulence in the global economy. As one of only two exit-entry points to the Red Sea—alongside the Suez Canal—the waterway serves as a critical transit route for Saudi oil, raising the stakes as Houthi forces attempt to advance toward the strait. In July, Saudi Arabia announced an initiative to form an international coalition to protect RedSea shipping from attacks by Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthis.