Houthi offensive threatens to cut off Taiz from Red Sea coast as Yemen conflict intensifies

Yemeni government forces are engaged in fierce clashes with Houthi fighters across several fronts west of Taiz province, as the Iran-backed group launches a broad offensive along front lines on the western Red Sea coast.

In the latest sign that a return to full-scale war in Yemen may be approaching, Houthi fighters on Thursday attempted to advance to reach and cut the road linking Taiz to al-Makha (Mocha), aiming to sever Taiz city from the coast.

Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from the Yemeni capital Sanaa, said taking control of the port city of al-Makha would cut off government forces from a strategic supply route and give Houthis a foothold in the Red Sea, a key maritime route for oil exports and other global trade.

“In order to do that, they must drive out Yemeni government forces,” Mawry said. “But we have reports from Yemeni government officials that they have regained control of some of the areas that fell under Houthi control.”

Yemen’s Army Media Centre said Houthis had fired 14 ballistic missiles and launched drones at populated districts in the provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah.

It said the Houthis launched an attack on army positions in the Maqbanah Mountains, west of Taiz province, and attempted to infiltrate areas of al-Ahtoub, al-Tuwair, al-Kadha and Jabal Ghabari.

The media centre said more than 18 Houthi fighters were killed and others wounded or captured as they clashed with Yemeni forces in the southwestern part of the country on Thursday.

An unnamed military source, meanwhile, told the AFP news agency that 13 government forces were killed in the fighting. Another military source said most of those killed were on the front lines between al-Makha and Taiz, while the others died in clashes near the Red Sea coast.

A field officer in al-Makha told AFP his men were “fighting fiercely to repel the massive Houthi offensive”.

“We also thwarted an attack with two booby-trapped boats that exploded near the port,” he said, requesting anonymity.

‘Fierce advancement’

The Yemen News Agency, Saba, reported that the army shot down three Houthi drones in the Jabal Habashi district in Taiz governorate and was engaged in fierce clashes with Houthi fighters on the al-Barah front, west of Taiz city.

Over the past weeks, fighting has intensified in Yemen, with exchanges of fire and drone attacks reported across nearly the entire frozen front line.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year that spiralled into a years-long war.

The Houthis and the internationally recognised government struck a truce in 2022 that has, until now, largely held. Progress towards a lasting agreement to end the war stalled in 2023, when Israel launched its war on Gaza and tensions in the wider region escalated.

Al Jazeera’s Mawry said the fact that Houthi fighters were able to enter government territory and seize it for several hours was a sign that attempts at resuming talks and establishing a ceasefire were failing.

“Both sides are now scrabbling to gain territory and gain control not just on land, but at sea,” the correspondent said. In recent weeks, Houthis have launched attacks on government-affiliated Saudi oil tankers.

“We’ll have to wait and see whether government forces can maintain control”, Mawry added, noting that the army must work to thwart the Houthis’ “fierce advancement”.