More than 60 people were killed in clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis west of Taiz

More than sixty people, including six civilians, were killed on Saturday (September 5, 2026) in clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis in western Taiz Governorate, as part of an escalation described as the most violent in the country in years, according to medical and military sources who spoke to Agence France-Presse.

Saturday's toll comes the day after sources from both sides announced that more than 120 people had been killed since the Houthi attack began on Thursday, amid attempts to advance towards areas close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and the coast overlooking the Red Sea.

Dozens of dead

Three government military sources said that 26 soldiers were killed while confronting Houthi attacks on the Maqbanah, Jabal Habashi and Al-Barah fronts, west of Taiz. On the other hand, medical and military sources close to the Houthis reported that the bodies of 31 of their fighters were transferred to Ibb and Sanaa governorates.

In a separate incident, a medical source in the city of Taiz said that six civilians were killed in a missile attack that targeted a bus that was traveling on the road between Taiz and Aden. A government official accused the Houthis of carrying out the attack, without an immediate comment on their part.

A military official reported that three Saudi raids targeted sites newly controlled by the Houthis in western Taiz. However, government sources acknowledged that the Houthis had achieved a breakthrough in Maqbanah and towards Al-Barah Junction, despite air strikes during the night of Friday and Saturday.

Heavy toll since Thursday

A Yemeni military official said that 66 members of the government forces were killed, while sources close to the Houthis spoke of the killing of at least 62 of their militants.

A medical source also reported that a civilian was killed in a Houthi bombing that targeted a restaurant in the coastal city of Mokha. Neither the Yemeni government nor the Houthis issued a comprehensive official tally of the battles.

Racing on the coast and Bab al-Mandab

Government military sources say that the Houthis are seeking to isolate the city of Mokha from the rest of the areas under government control, and to advance towards the coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The sources reported that the Houthis controlled strategic heights overlooking government sites near the Red Sea, Al-Khokha and Taiz.

Military sources reported that, today, Saturday, Yemeni government forces took control of several villages and important sites in the governorates of Taiz and Hodeidah, west of the country, as part of the ongoing battles against the Houthi group.

The government sent reinforcements from Aden to the Taiz fronts, while a field officer said that the coming hours will be decisive in trying to regain the positions lost by government forces.

The escalation comes in light of the renewed confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and the end of the truce concluded in 2022. The government warns that the arrival of the Houthis to the coast of Bab al-Mandab may give them greater ability to threaten navigation in one of the most important international sea lanes.

Edited by: A.J.M