Yemeni Government Forces Recapture Strategic Hills Amid Ongoing Houthi Offensive
Quick Look
- Yemeni government forces recaptured al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills in Jabal Habashi district west of Taiz city amid continued heavy clashes with Houthi rebels in the southwest.
- The offensive, launched by Houthis on Thursday, has resulted in over 120 deaths since its start, including 24 government troops near the west coast and 15 in Taiz, with medical sources reporting at least 42 Houthi fighter deaths.
- Civilians were killed and injured in a ballistic missile strike on a restaurant in al-Makha.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Houthis previously controlled al-Makha port until being driven out in 2017 by government forces and the Saudi-led coalition. They declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July. The current offensive aims to reclaim territory overlooking Bab al-Mandeb, a vital chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen’s army say they have recaptured strategically important territory, as heavy clashes with Houthi rebels continue in the southwest of the country.
Yemeni government forces recaptured al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills in Jabal Habashi district west of Taiz city, according to a statement on Friday.
The clashes between government forces and Houthi fighters continued for the second day in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, two governorates along the Red Sea coast, after the rebel group launched a broad offensive along front lines on the coast.
A Houthi source told Al Jazeera that more than 100 fighters have been killed from both sides since the start of the offensive on Thursday.
A Yemeni military official told Al Jazeera that 24 government troops were killed near the west coast, while another military official reported the deaths of 15 others in clashes in Taiz. Medical sources in Houthi-controlled areas reported that at least 42 fighters had been killed.
Several civilians were killed and others injured in a ballistic missile attack that hit a restaurant in the coastal city of al-Makha (Mocha), state-run Saba TV reported. Over 120 people were killed in Yemen since the Houthis launched their advance, according to an AFP casualty toll.
Battle for the coast
The Houthis aim to control the hills overlooking Bab al-Mandeb and al-Makha before attacking the coast, a Yemeni official in Aden, the internationally recognised government’s base, told the AFP.
The Houthis captured territories since Thursday mainly in western Taiz including a strategic military base, a government military official told Al Jazeera.
Government military sources said that reinforcements had arrived to counter the Houthi advances in western Taiz, Saba reported.
Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from the Yemeni capital Sanaa, said that the aim of the Houthi offensive “seems to be gaining territories towards the city and Red Sea port of al-Makha”.
The Houthis controlled the port city of al-Makha, which overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, before being driven out in 2017 by government forces and Saudi-led coalition.
The rebel group declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July.
The Houthis want to use Bab al-Mandeb for “military strategic calculation which experts believe could be meaningful in the wars to come against Saudi Arabia or against Israel”, Mawry added.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Houthi forces will continue attempts to seize full control of al-Makha and surrounding hills to threaten Bab al-Mandeb.
Likely · Within weeks
Yemeni government forces will deploy additional reinforcements to western Taiz to counter Houthi advances.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What is the exact number of civilian casualties from the missile strike on al-Makha restaurant?
- Are there signs of international intervention or mediation efforts underway?
- How sustainable are the government’s recent gains given the intensity of Houthi offensives?
- What specific military support, if any, is the Yemeni government receiving from regional allies?
