Houthi attacks raise stakes on Yemen’s strategic Red Sea coast
ADEN – Yemen’s government-aligned National Resistance Forces said they were engaged in heavy clashes with the Houthis in southern Hodeidah on Thursday, as fighting intensified along the country’s strategic western coast and raised fresh concerns that years of relative calm could give way to a wider conflict.
The forces said Houthi fighters had attempted to advance towards Mount Dabbas in southern Hodeidah, a strategically important area overlooking routes linking Yemen’s interior with the Red Sea coast.
The clashes formed part of a broader escalation on Thursday involving ground fighting, ballistic missile launches and drone attacks by the Houthis across parts of Taiz and Hodeidah provinces.
Yemeni government forces said the Houthis had launched 14 ballistic missiles as well as a series of drone attacks targeting populated areas and military concentrations along the western coast.
The Yemeni Armed Forces Media Centre said air defences intercepted several drones over the Taiz front and other areas along the western coast, while the ballistic missiles did not hit positions held by government-aligned forces.
Government forces also said they had suppressed sources of hostile fire and other threats in the Al-Kadaha sector of the Al-Barh front in western Taiz, where reciprocal ground attacks were reported around Al-Kadaha, Maqbanah and Mawza.
The National Resistance Forces said their units were maintaining a high level of combat readiness as they confronted the Houthi attacks and attempts to advance along the western front.
The escalation comes after years of relative calm on Yemen’s principal battle lines. A United Nations-brokered truce in April 2022 significantly reduced large-scale fighting between the internationally-recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014.
The truce formally expired later in 2022, but the main front lines remained largely frozen, creating a prolonged period of “no war, no peace” in which political efforts focused on a broader settlement.
That fragile equilibrium has come under increasing pressure since fighting resumed in several provinces in recent weeks, including Marib in central Yemen, Al-Jawf in the north, and Al-Dhalea and Taiz.
The latest escalation is particularly significant because of the location of the fighting. Western Taiz forms a link between Yemen’s mountainous interior and the Red Sea coastline, including the port of Mokha, which lies close to the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints.
Control of roads, mountain positions and coastal areas in the region can affect the movement of troops and supplies between the interior and the coast, giving the fighting a strategic importance beyond the immediate battle lines.
The military escalation has also extended to the area around Mokha. National Resistance Forces said they had destroyed a remotely controlled boat loaded with explosives that was attempting to target the port.
The reported incident adds a maritime dimension to the renewed fighting at a time when Yemen has become a central part of wider security concerns around the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.
Since late 2023, following the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis have launched attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, drawing international military involvement and making the security of Yemen’s western coastline a regional and international concern.
The Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in July, adding to tensions surrounding regional shipping and raising further concerns about the potential interaction between Yemen’s internal conflict and wider regional hostilities.
The strategic position of Mokha and the surrounding coastline means that any sustained military escalation there could have implications beyond Yemen, particularly if fighting begins to threaten commercial shipping or maritime routes through Bab al-Mandab.
The recent deployment of additional government-aligned forces has added to the military build-up. Reinforcements from the Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces have been sent to fronts in Taiz and Hodeidah, according to Yemeni sources, as government forces seek to strengthen positions where several battle lines converge.
For the Houthis, the simultaneous use of ground forces, ballistic missiles and drones could place pressure on government forces across a number of fronts, stretching their resources and testing their ability to defend widely dispersed positions.
For the government-aligned forces, the reinforcements indicate an effort to prevent further Houthi advances and secure key routes and positions along the western coast.
The developments mark a sharp departure from the lower level of fighting that followed the 2022 truce and come as Yemen remains without a final comprehensive political agreement capable of containing a major military flare-up.
A roadmap aimed at paving the way for a nationwide ceasefire and negotiations on Yemen’s political and economic future has yet to produce a final settlement, leaving the country vulnerable to renewed military escalation.
The renewed fighting is unfolding against the backdrop of a conflict that has already produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian and economic crises. The war began nearly 12 years ago when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa and expanded their hold over large parts of the country.
The internationally-recognised government has been backed by a Saudi-led coalition, while Iran has been accused of supporting the Houthis. Tehran and the Houthis have denied aspects of those accusations, while the conflict has repeatedly drawn in regional and international powers.
The latest fighting also presents a test for the government-aligned forces’ ability to sustain operations across multiple fronts. Ground assaults combined with ballistic missile and drone attacks can force troops to spread their resources, exposing military concentrations and supply routes to further attacks.
Government forces have responded with counter-attacks, reinforcements and efforts to recover positions where the Houthis made initial gains, while seeking to demonstrate that they can contain the renewed offensive.
There has been no confirmed indication that either side has decided to return to full-scale war, but the simultaneous escalation across several fronts is putting increasing pressure on the fragile balance that has held since 2022.
The movement of additional forces can prompt counter-deployments, while attacks can trigger retaliation and turn localised clashes into broader confrontations.
The western coast is particularly sensitive because of its proximity to Mokha and Bab al-Mandab. Prolonged fighting around the port, coastal routes or surrounding military positions could increase the risks to maritime security and draw greater attention from regional and international powers.