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Intense ground combat and artillery exchanges between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and the Houthis have killed more than 140 people in southwestern Yemen, military sources told AFP on September 6.
The fighting marks a severe escalation in reciprocal attacks that began in July, fracturing the relative calm established by a United Nations-brokered truce in April 2022. Operations have heavily concentrated along the western Red Sea coast, moving chronologically through the Hodeidah and Taiz provinces.
On September 5, government forces launched a counteroffensive in the al-Jarahi district, south of Hodeidah. Coordinated drone strikes hit Houthi reinforcements, allowing government troops to capture dozens of fighters during the advance, Deputy Information Minister Fayad al-Numan told Al Jazeera.
During the push, the military claimed to have recaptured the strategic Hais district, a key geographic junction linking the Hodeidah, Taiz, and Ibb provinces, according to the Anadolu Agency.
The combat resulted in significant casualties and collateral damage. Violence in Taiz province killed more than 60 people on September 5, including civilians, Al Jazeera reported.
By September 6, the focal point of the clashes shifted toward the al-Kadhah sector, a vital front connecting the cities of Taiz and Mokha. The government-aligned National Resistance Forces released a statement saying their troops engaged in fierce firefights and inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis in the area. Several videos showing recent strikes against the group were released.
Heavy explosions continued to rock Taiz through September 6, as the Yemeni Defense Ministry also deployed new weapons systems to the front lines. Military spokesman Col. Majed al-Nozaili stated the strikes on Houthi positions were a direct response to the group’s “violations and escalation.”
The Houthis, for their part, released video footage showing a strike with a precision-guided artillery rocket against a gathering of government forces, including commanders. The group’s military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, also announced that two Saudi, Chinese-made combat drones were shot down on September 6 and 7: a Wing Loong II over Taiz and a CH-4 over the northern province of al-Jawf.
The sudden intensification of fighting displaced approximately 1,800 families over a two-day period, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The ongoing battlefield movements carry immediate strategic weight for international shipping routes. As the Houthis expand control along the coast, the Yemeni government warned that any advance toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait would face “harsh attrition.”
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