Government-aligned forces clash with Houthis in western Yemen

Saber Ghanem Ibrahim Eid and Serdar Dincel

Yemen’s government-aligned National Resistance Forces said they were engaged in heavy clashes with the Houthis in southern Hodeidah, a strategic Red Sea coastal province in western Yemen.

The clashes came as the Houthis attempted to advance toward Mount Dabbas in southern Hodeidah, the forces said in a statement carried by their 2 December news agency Thursday evening.

The developments come amid a military escalation in western Yemen on Thursday between government forces and the Houthis, involving clashes as well as ballistic missile and drone attacks.

The fighting has resumed since early July in several provinces, including Marib in central Yemen and Al-Jawf in the north, as well as Al-Dhalea and Taiz.

Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country in 2014.

Since late 2023, after the Gaza war began, the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, launching attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while recent renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.