The conflict in Yemen has escalated, with at least 169 people reportedly killed in the last three days as Iran-aligned Houthis battle Saudi-backed government forces for control of strategic heights on the Red Sea coast. Houthi military officials stated that at least 118 people had been killed in clashes, as well as Saudi air and artillery strikes on Taiz, al-Jawf, Marib, and Saada provinces since Sunday.
The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of striking the port city of Mocha on Tuesday, killing six civilians, including two children. The group also claimed that a Saudi strike on a prison in al-Jawf province, north-western Yemen, killed nine detainees. In response, the Saudi government issued an alert in the south of the country before potential strikes, after the Houthis launched strikes at the Saudi capital, Riyadh, at the weekend for the first time in years.
The renewed fighting came after a dramatic offensive launched by the Houthis three weeks earlier, in which the group seized control of much of Yemen's Red Sea coast from government-aligned forces. This was the most significant territorial gain in the last four years of the civil war in the country. The offensive has upended global energy markets, which are already reeling from the Iranian closure of the strait of Hormuz.
The clashes have compounded an already dire humanitarian crisis, where about 22 million people need humanitarian assistance and 5.2 million people are already internally displaced. Yemen's civil war started in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of the country's capital and toppled the government. A Saudi-led coalition then intervened in an aerial campaign on behalf of the internationally recognised Yemeni government and allied militias.
In recent days, clashes have focused on the strategic Kahboub mountains near the Red Sea coast as the Houthis seek to consolidate recent territorial gains. Government forces have been trying to hold the line against the Houthi advance on multiple fronts to prevent them from seizing the mountain range. Control of the mountains would give the Houthis a strategic vantage point over Red Sea coastal areas and would further cut off Aden, the seat of Yemeni government forces, from the western coast.
The Houthis have advanced on multiple fronts, particularly the outskirts of Taiz province and the coastal area of Ras al-Ara, with the greater goal of controlling the Kahboub mountains. Media affiliated with the Houthis have reported gains in the area, while government media said its fighters had successfully repelled Houthi incursions. Since the Houthi campaign was launched, the group has routed government-aligned forces from western Yemen.
The international community has expressed concern over the escalating conflict, with members of the G7 calling on Iran to stop arming the Houthis. In a joint statement released ahead of the UN general assembly, member states urged the Houthis to stop their strikes on Saudi Arabia, which have damaged key oil infrastructure and wounded dozens. The clashes have killed about 700 people and displaced more than 100,000 people, pushing some Yemenis to flee the fighting via sea.
Key points
- At least 169 people killed in Yemen in three days as Houthis battle Saudi-backed government forces
- Houthis seek to control strategic Kahboub mountains near the Red Sea coast
- Conflict has displaced over 100,000 people and killed about 700 people
