Houthi fighters clash with Yemeni government forces in country’s southwest

By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP. Published On 3 Sep 20263 Sep 2026.

Key points

• Yemen's Army Media Centre remarked Houthis had fired 14 ballistic missiles and rolled out drones at populated districts in the provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah.
• The Houthis and the internationally recognised administration struck a truce in 2022 that has, until now, largely held.
• An unnamed military source, meanwhile, informed the AFP news agency that 13 administration forces were killed in the fighting.
• "In order to do that, they must drive out Yemeni government forces, " Mawry remarked.
• A field officer in al-Makha informed AFP his men were "fighting fiercely to repel the massive Houthi offensive".

As the Iran-backed group launches a broad offensive along front lines on the western Red Sea coast, yemeni administration forces are engaged in fierce clashes with Houthi fighters throughout a number of fronts west of Taiz province.

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, remarked taking control of the port city of al-Makha would cut off administration forces from a strategic supply route and offer 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 remarked. "But we have reports from Yemeni government officials that they have regained control of some of the areas that fell under Houthi control."

It remarked the Houthis rolled out 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.

In practice, the media centre remarked 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.

For context, an unnamed military source, meanwhile, informed the AFP news agency that 13 administration forces were killed in the fighting. While the others died in clashes near the Red Sea coast, another military source remarked most of those killed were on the front lines between al-Makha and Taiz.

In practice, a field officer in al-Makha informed 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 remarked, requesting anonymity.

For context, the Yemen News Agency, Saba, documented 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 documented throughout almost 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 after year that spiralled into a years-long war.

Meanwhile, the Houthis and the internationally recognised administration struck a truce in 2022 that has, until now, largely held. When Israel introduced its war on Gaza and tensions in the wider region escalated, progress towards a lasting agreement to end the war stalled in 2023.

Al Jazeera's Mawry remarked the fact that Houthi fighters were able to enter administration territory and seize it for a number of hours was a sign that attempts at resuming negotiations 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 remarked. In recent weeks, Houthis have introduced attacks on government-affiliated Saudi oil tankers.

"We'll have to wait and see whether government forces can maintain control", Mawry continued, noting that the army must work to thwart the Houthis' "fierce advancement".

In short, houthi fighters clash with Yemeni government forces in country's southwest is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.