Houthis Launch Offensive to Cut Taiz–Al‑Makha Route Amid Escalating Yemen Conflict

Houthis attempt to cut road linking Taiz to al‑Makha in apparent bid to sever government’s strategic supply route.

Published On 3 Sep 20263 Sep 2026

Yemeni government forces are engaged in fierce clashes with Houthi fighters across several fronts west of Taiz province, as the Iran‑backed group launches a broad offensive along the western Red Sea coast.

In a fresh sign that full‑scale war may be returning to Yemen, Houthi fighters on Thursday attempted to advance and cut the road linking Taiz to al‑Makha (Mocha), seeking to isolate the city from the coast.

Reporting from the Yemeni capital Sanaa, Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry said seizing control of the port city of al‑Makha would deprive government forces of a vital supply route and give the Houthis a foothold on the Red Sea, a key maritime corridor for oil exports and global trade. “In order to do that, they must drive out Yemeni government forces,” Mawry noted, adding that Yemeni officials report regaining control of some areas that had fallen to the Houthis.

Yemen’s Army Media Centre said the Houthis fired 14 ballistic missiles and launched drones at populated districts in the provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah.

The media centre reported an attack on army positions in the Maqbanah Mountains, west of Taiz province, and attempted infiltrations in al‑Ahtoub, al‑Tuwair, al‑Kadha and Jabal Ghabari.

More than 18 Houthi fighters were killed, wounded or captured as they clashed with Yemeni forces in the southwestern part of the country on Thursday. An unnamed military source told AFP that 13 government forces were killed, most of them on the front line between al‑Makha and Taiz, while others died in clashes near the Red Sea coast.

A field officer in al‑Makha told AFP his men were “fighting fiercely to repel the massive Houthi offensive.” He also said they thwarted an attack with two booby‑trapped boats that exploded near the port.

‘Fierce advancement’

The Yemen News Agency, Saba, reported 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 across Yemen, with exchanges of fire and drone attacks reported along nearly 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 following year that spiralled into a years‑long war.

The Houthis and the internationally recognised government struck a truce in 2022 that has largely held until now. Progress toward a lasting agreement stalled in 2023 when Israel launched its war on Gaza, heightening regional tensions.

Al Jazeera’s Mawry said the Houthis’ ability to enter government territory and hold it for several hours indicates that attempts to resume talks and establish a ceasefire are failing. “Both sides are now scrambling to gain territory and control not just on land, but at sea,” the correspondent said, noting recent Houthi attacks on Saudi‑affiliated oil tankers.

“We’ll have to wait and see whether government forces can maintain control,” Mawry added, emphasizing the need for the army to counter the Houthis’ “fierce advancement.”

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