Yemen’s fragile truce faces biggest test since 2022 amid escalating clashes

Mohammed Sameai, Lina Altawell

Yemen’s fragile truce is facing its gravest challenge since 2022 after fierce clashes between government forces and the Houthi group sparked military mobilization, heightened regional tensions and renewed concerns over a return to full-scale war.

Violent clashes erupted Sunday on the Jabal Dabbas front in southern Hodeidah province, leaving dozens of fighters dead or wounded in one of the fiercest battles since the UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Yemeni Minister of State Waleed al-Qudaimi said 15 government soldiers were killed, while government forces killed more than 50 Houthi fighters and wounded dozens more.

“Repeated Houthi attacks on positions held by the Tihama Zaraniq forces reflected the importance of that front to the group,” he said.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the fighting, although their Saba news agency reported the deaths of two fighters without specifying where or when they were killed.

The escalation prompted both sides to reinforce their military posture, underscoring growing concerns that the front lines could expand after more than three years of relative calm.

Presidential Leadership Council (PLC)Chairman Rashad al-Alimi ordered government forces to maintain maximum readiness after being briefed by council member Tareq Saleh on developments along the western coast, where National Resistance forces repelled a Houthi attack, according to Yemen’s official Saba news agency.

In Taiz province, Gov. Nabil Shamsan also instructed military commanders to strengthen combat preparedness, citing Houthi reinforcements along frontline positions.

The Houthis, meanwhile, stepped up mobilization campaigns in Sanaa, Saada and Hajjah provinces, calling for wider recruitment and military training after leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi urged supporters to prepare for what the group described as the “battle to liberate Yemen,” according to Saba.

The military buildup has coincided with rising regional tensions following the arrival of an Iranian civilian aircraft at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport, the first publicly announced direct flight there in nearly a decade, according to Yemeni media. Tehran has not officially commented on the flight.

The Houthis insisted they would continue operating the airport without permission from any party, describing it as a sovereign right, and renewed threats to target Saudi Arabia if it took action against the group.

Yemen’s PLC condemned the Iranian flight as a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty, while the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen vowed to respond “firmly and with unprecedented force” to any attacks on Saudi Arabia or violations of Yemen’s sovereignty.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki accused the Houthis of attempting to divert attention from their domestic actions by escalating threats against Saudi Arabia.

Although Yemen has remained relatively calm since April 2022 despite sporadic clashes and stalled peace efforts, the latest fighting, military mobilization and increasingly confrontational rhetoric mark the most serious escalation since the truce took hold.

The conflict has devastated Yemen’s economy and infrastructure, displaced millions of people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, while UN-led efforts to secure a lasting political settlement remain stalled.