Houthis launch new offensive in Taiz, causing fresh displacement

Taiz, Yemen – Abdullah Saeed, 47, fled his home in the Maqbanah district west of Taiz in 2022, leaving behind all his possessions and settling in al‑Rahabah camp in the Jabal Habashi area, about 90 km (55 mi) south of the city. While he and roughly 300 other families in the camp have struggled to meet basic needs, they at least enjoyed a period of relative peace, far from the front lines.

That stability ended when fighting reached Jabal Habashi. Early Thursday, Houthi rebels launched an attack on the district and surrounding areas in southwest Yemen, triggering intense clashes that continued throughout the day.

As the Houthis advanced toward al‑Rahabah, Saeed and hundreds of other families fled once more.

“Fighting erupted suddenly at night. We were far from the battlefield, but in the morning we were shocked to see the front lines near our camp. There was no solution but to take our basic belongings and flee,” he told Al Jazeera. “We had a bad experience when we were caught in crossfire in 2022, so we didn’t want to repeat that. We left before the battles reached our camp.”

Saeed said the exodus included not only families from his camp but also people from neighboring villages and other displaced‑person sites.

“We have fled for the second time, but there are also families who fled for the first time. We are all now in dire need of shelter and basic services,” said Saeed, who is now staying with relatives in another camp for displaced people.

After four years of quiet along Yemen’s front lines, Saeed had hoped to return to his home in Maqbanah soon. Now, with the prospect of all‑out war between the Houthis and the Yemeni government growing more realistic, he would be content merely to regain access to al‑Rahabah, where he at least has shelter, water, and a familiar environment.

“I do not support any military side, but I hope the battles stop soon and we manage to return to our camp. All we need now is stability,” he said.

Sudden Houthi attacks

Early Thursday, the Houthis launched an offensive against government forces on the western fronts of Taiz governorate, including positions in the Maqbanah district. The assault began with missiles and drones, followed by ground combat described as the fiercest since 2022.

The Iran‑aligned Houthis made advances across several fronts in Maqbanah, Mawzaa, and Jabal Habashi districts, prompting a new wave of displacement. Saudi‑backed government forces say they are countering the attacks and have recaptured some territory.

Both sides have received military reinforcements—fighters and vehicles—and the fighting has intensified, with dozens of combatants killed on each side.

This marks the latest escalation in Yemen’s more than decade‑long conflict, which has heated up in recent months. The war began in 2014 when the Houthis overthrew the government and seized much of northwest Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

Since early August, the Houthis have carried out deadly missile, drone, and ground attacks against government forces across several governorates, such as Marib, Taiz, Hodeidah, and al‑Dhale. They have also targeted the al‑Makha (Mocha) port, seeking to push government troops off the southern Red Sea coast and gain greater control over the vital waterway, which they have used to attack Saudi shipping.

Government forces have retaliated with dozens of drone strikes against Houthi targets in multiple governorates.

The worsening conflict may draw Saudi Arabia into the fray again, four years after its last official airstrikes in Yemen in support of the government.

Casualties

Yahiya Lutf, a pro‑government fighter in Jabal Habashi district, confirmed that the Houthis had launched sudden attacks across different fronts in western Taiz governorate but claimed that government forces have retaken several areas.

“The Houthis launched these attacks attempting to cut the main road between Taiz city and the Red Sea coast, but they failed,” Lutf told Al Jazeera. “Our goal is not only to liberate what they took [on Thursday]; we will press forward beyond that, as our morale is high and we are fully prepared for battle.”

He added that there were casualties on both sides.

“The true outcome of these battles will be clear in the near future,” Lutf said. “I call on those reporting Houthi advances to wait, and I promise them good news.”

Lutf noted that troops from various military units are participating in the battles. The front lines are near the main road linking Taiz city with the Red Sea Coast, which serves as the headquarters for the National Resistance Forces, a government‑aligned faction led by Tareq Saleh, nephew of the late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

A Houthi source in Sanaa told Al Jazeera that the recent battles are part of the group’s “efforts to break the siege on Yemenis.”

“We are engaged in battle to break the siege on Yemen, especially at sea. This is not just the goal of Ansar Allah [the Houthis], but the desire of all Yemenis,” he said. The source declined further details, and Houthi media have likewise refrained from publishing specifics about the fighting.

Regional factor

Yemeni journalist Odai al‑Dokhaini believes the front lines hold strategic importance. Severing the road linking Taiz to al‑Makha—as Houthi fighters attempted on Thursday—would impact both cities, as the route is a vital lifeline for transporting food and goods from al‑Makha.

“The Houthis selected these current front lines for their strategic location,” al‑Dokhaini said. “If they succeed in isolating the Red Sea coast fronts, they can begin targeting them individually.”

Political analyst Abdulsattar al‑Shamiri tied the developments to broader regional events, notably the U.S. confrontation with Iran.

“This battle cannot be viewed in isolation,” al‑Shamiri said. “The Houthis have been pushing to seize more territory along the Red Sea.”

He views the attacks as part of a larger strategy by Iran and its allies to project strength, “giving Tehran another point of leverage alongside the Strait of Hormuz.”

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