Yemen clashes kill over 120 fighters

Yemen clashes kill over 120 fighters
2026-09-05T09:58:28+00:00

Shafaq News- Taiz/ Hodeidah

More than 120 people were killed in two days of heavy fighting between Yemen's internationally recognized government forces and Houthi (Ansarallah) forces in the western provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah, according to sources cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, in some of the fiercest clashes in years.

A Yemeni military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, put government military deaths since Thursday at 66. Medical and military sources close to the Houthis estimated their losses at at least 62 fighters.

The figures could not be independently verified.

The fighting erupted earlier this week across several fronts west of Taiz and in southern Hodeidah. Government forces reported a counteroffensive south of al-Jarrahi in Hodeidah province, backed by units from the Giants Brigades. The government also launched 15 air strikes against Houthi positions along the western coast in Taiz and Hodeidah.

Military sources cited by the agency detailed fighting around Jabal al-Watra, an area between Taiz and Lahj provinces, while Yemen TV, a government-affiliated media outlet, reported that government forces had taken control of the Said Taha and Dhiban hills in Hayfan district in Taiz.

The latest clashes followed a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks along the western coast. Shafaq News noted on Thursday, citing Yemen's internationally recognized government, that Ansarallah launched 14 ballistic missiles toward Mocha in Taiz and al-Khokha district in Hodeidah.

The government has accused the Houthis of seeking to isolate the coastal city of Mocha from government-held areas and advance toward the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Military sources informed AFP that Houthi forces had seized elevated positions overlooking government-held areas near the coast and Taiz. Such positions could give the group direct control over approaches to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a major shipping route carrying around 10% of global oil shipments.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi accused the Houthis of pursuing "Iran's goal of controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait," while holding the group responsible for the humanitarian consequences of the escalation.

The Houthis have offered a different account of the fighting. A military source, in an account carried by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, alleged that Saudi-backed forces were attacking civilians, condemning the targeting of a home in al-Jarrahi district as a new violation.

The source also warned that military deployments by Saudi-backed forces would be treated as military targets and vowed a harsh response to the recently launched ground offensive.

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