Yemen Conflict Intensifies: Recent Battlefield Developments

Forces aligned with Yemen’s government recently reported intercepting a drone bound for Medina and stopping a missile aimed at Riyadh, reflecting the sharp rise in hostilities with Yemen’s Houthi faction.

Conflict between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels has intensified along the western Red Sea coast, accompanied by expanding Houthi strikes on Saudi oil facilities and airports.

Which sites have the Houthis targeted in Saudi Arabia?

Recent Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure have primarily focused on key installations near Riyadh, with increasing proximity to the city centre. Houthi operations targeting Riyadh’s King Khalid international airport over the weekend resulted in 14 fatalities and over 300 injuries. Additional strikes were reported at Abha international airport in southern Saudi Arabia, where two people were killed, and at Saudi Aramco energy facilities.

Authorities confirm Riyadh airport will remain closed at least through Saturday, with several airlines cancelling flights and leaving the capital’s skies largely empty. Al Jazeera’s correspondent Yousef Mawry notes that Saudi Arabia faces significant losses from these tit-for-tat disruptions, especially given that Sanaa airport has been non-operational for years due to war-related damage and the absence of Yemeni commercial aircraft.

Beyond aviation, Houthi strikes targeting Saudi-linked shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb strait aim to amplify economic pressure, particularly as Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has redirected Gulf oil exports through this route. Upcoming events, including Riyadh’s high-profile investment conference dubbed “Davos in the desert” and the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament, have been postponed or restructured amid security concerns. Saudi Arabia’s planned FIFA World Cup in 2034 also faces heightened logistical challenges.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Doha, observed that these military actions are designed to create a sustained pressure campaign with far-reaching economic consequences. “The Gulf Cooperation Council has become a stage for these massive events over the past year,” he said, “and if they continue, the global economic implications will remain negative.”

What’s the situation on the ground in Yemen?

Yemeni government forces have launched a major counteroffensive, operation “Dawn of Yemen,” to reclaim coastal territory seized by Houthis near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical maritime chokepoint. The Saudi cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, pledged this week “not to allow its security or freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb strait to be threatened.”

On Wednesday, government forces reported conducting 2,309 targeting operations against Houthi positions as part of “Dawn of Yemen,” utilizing combat aircraft, drones, artillery, and rocket launchers. The operations destroyed 460 Houthi military vehicles.

Government troops say they have retaken areas in Sabr al-Mawadim and al-Sarari within Taiz governorate, and repelled a large Houthi assault west of Taiz city, a government-held urban centre that endured a siege earlier this month. Taiz governorate spans the western Red Sea coastal region—containing the port of Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb—as well as highland areas with its capital, Taiz, nestled among mountains.

Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry explains the strategic importance: “Whoever controls the elevated terrain and secures the mountains effectively controls the landscape, the Red Sea coastline, and the city of Taiz itself.”

The internationally recognised Yemeni government continues to urge for additional reinforcements and Saudi air support against Houthi positions recently captured in the districts of al-Misrakh (south of Taiz) and at-Turbah (a gateway to Taiz).

While Saudi-led coalition airstrikes are forcing Houthi forces to withdraw and allow government advances, full control of those positions has not yet been achieved. “It triggers another counter-offensive by Ansar Allah to retake the area—a routine we’ve observed since early September,” Mawry reported.

The Houthi siege of Taiz has led to civilian casualties and severe shortages of fuel, gas, and essential supplies. The UN World Food Programme recently warned that wheat flour stocks in the area are nearly exhausted. The International Committee of the Red Cross reports that front-line hospitals across Marib, Taiz, and the Red Sea coast are seeing unprecedented numbers of weapon-wounded patients, with some facilities admitting over 700 casualties in a single week.

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