Houthi attacks on Yemen’s Taiz escalate, triggering new displacement wave

By Al Jazeera Staff. Published On 4 Sep 20264 Sep 2026.

Key points

• The pro-Iranian Houthis managed to advance throughout a number of fronts in Maqbanah, Mawzaa and Jabal Habashi districts, triggering a new wave of displacement.
• Since early August, the Houthis have introduced deadly missile, drone and ground attacks against administration forces throughout a number of governorates, including Marib, Taiz, Hodeidah and al-Dhale.
• "The Houthis launched these attacks attempting to cut the main road between Taiz city and the Red Sea coast, but they failed, " Lutf informed Al Jazeera.
• The frontlines lie near the main road connecting Taiz city with the Red Sea Coast.
• A Houthi source in Sanaa informed Al Jazeera that the recent battles are part of the group's "efforts to break the siege on Yemenis".

Taiz, Yemen – Abdullah Saeed, 47, fled his home in the Maqbanah district west of Taiz in 2022, leaving everything behind and settling in al-Rahabah camp in the Jabal Habashi area 90km (55 miles) south.

While he and around 300 other families in the camp have since struggled to meet their basic needs, they at least enjoyed a peaceful life far from the frontlines.

That is, until the battles came to Jabal Habashi. An attack from Yemen's Houthi rebels early on Thursday targeted the district and other areas in southwest Yemen, with heavy fighting continuing.

As the Houthis advanced towards al-Rahabah, Saeed and hundreds of other families fled once again.

"Fighting erupted suddenly at night. We were far from the battlefield, but in the morning, we were shocked to see the frontlines near our camp. There was no solution but to take our basic belongings and flee, " he informed Al Jazeera. "We had a bad experience when we were stuck in the crossfire in 2022, so we didn't want to experience a similar situation and fled before the battles reached our camp."

Saeed remarked it wasn't just displaced families at his camp who had fled, but additionally individuals from neighbouring camps and villages.

"We have fled for the second time, but there are additionally families who fled for the first time. We are all now in dire need of shelter and basic services, " remarked Saeed. This person is now staying with relatives at another camp for displaced residents.

After four years of quiet along Yemen's frontlines, Saeed had held out the hope that he would shortly be able to return to his home in Maqbanah. But now, with all-out war between the Houthis and the Yemeni administration looking ever more probable, he would be happy just to be able to obtain back to al-Rahabah, where he at least had shelter, a source of water and a familiar place.

"I do not support any military side, but I hope the battles stop soon and we manage to return to our camp, as all we need now is stability, " he remarked.

For context, the Houthis introduced an offensive against administration forces on the western fronts of Taiz governorate – including positions in Maqbanah district – early Thursday morning, using missiles and drones before initiating ground fighting described as the fiercest since 2022.

Notably, the pro-Iranian Houthis managed to advance throughout a number of fronts in Maqbanah, Mawzaa and Jabal Habashi districts, triggering a new wave of displacement. Saudi-backed administration forces say they are confronting the attacks and have retaken some areas.

Military reinforcements, including fighters and military vehicles, have been arriving for both the administration and the Houthis. The fighting has grown fiercer, with dozens fighters killed on both sides.

It's the latest escalation in Yemen's more than decade-long conflict. It has intensified in recent months. When the Houthis introduced a coup against Yemen's administration, and then seized much of northwest Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, the conflict began in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have additionally targeted al-Makha (Mocha) port in an apparent attempt to push administration forces out of the southern Red Sea coast, allowing the Houthis to have more control over the key waterway where they have been attacking Saudi shipping.

Administration forces have additionally attacked the Houthis throughout multiple governorates, reporting dozens of drone strikes against Houthi targets.

In practice, the escalating conflict may draw in Saudi Arabia, four years after it last officially conducted airstrikes in Yemen in backing of the administration.

Yahiya Lutf, a pro-government fighter in Jabal Habashi district, confirmed that the Houthis had introduced sudden attacks throughout different fronts in western Taiz governorate but asserted that administration forces have retaken a number of areas.

"The Houthis launched these attacks attempting to cut the main road between Taiz city and the Red Sea coast, but they failed, " Lutf informed Al Jazeera. "Our goal is not only to liberate what they took; we will press forward beyond that, as our morale is high and we are fully prepared for battle." He continued that there were casualties on both sides.

"The true outcome of these battles will be clear in the near future, " Lutf remarked. "I call on those reporting Houthi advances to wait, and I promise them good news."

Lutf continued that troops from various military units are participating in the battles.

For context, the frontlines lie near the main road connecting Taiz city with the Red Sea Coast. It serves as the headquarters for the National Resistance Forces, a government-aligned military faction led by Tareq Saleh, nephew of the late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Notably, a Houthi source in Sanaa informed Al Jazeera that the recent battles are part of the group's "efforts to break the siege on Yemenis".

"We are engaged in battle to break the siege on Yemen, especially at sea. This is not just the goal of Ansar Allah, but the desire of all Yemenis, " he remarked.

While Houthi media outlets have additionally refrained from publishing details on the fighting, the source declined to provide further details.

Yemeni journalist Odai al-Dokhaini believes the frontlines hold strategic importance as severing the road linking Taiz to al-Makha – as Houthi fighters attempted on Thursday – would impact both cities. The route serves as a vital lifeline for transporting food and goods from al-Makha.

"The Houthis selected these current frontlines for their strategic location, " al-Dokhaini remarked. "If they succeed in isolating the Red Sea coast fronts, they can begin targeting them individually."

Yemeni political analyst Abdulsattar al-Shamiri tied the developments to wider events in the region – most notably the US war on Iran.

"This battle cannot be viewed in isolation, " al-Shamiri remarked. "The Houthis have been pushing to seize more territory along the Red Sea."

He believes that the attacks are part of a wider strategy by Iran and its allies to project strength, "giving Tehran another point of leverage alongside the Strait of Hormuz".

Taken together, the developments around houthi attacks on Yemen's Taiz escalate, triggering new displacement wave point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.