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Yemen fighting kills at least 129
A Houthi offensive has reopened a front near a strategic Red Sea strait after Yemen's truce collapsed.
What happened
Clashes between Houthi fighters and government forces began on Thursday after a Houthi ground offensive backed by rockets and drones. Fighting centred on the western coast near Mokha and areas west of Taiz. The Houthis are seeking positions that would improve control around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following the July collapse of a truce.
Numbers
- 129 deathstoll recorded by Friday — Both sides and civilians included
- 60-plus deathsreported during Saturday fighting — Including civilians
- 12 yearslength of Yemen's civil war
Questions
- Why is Bab el-Mandeb central?
- The strait links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries oil shipping, making nearby ports and high ground strategically important.
- Where have civilians been affected?
- Yemeni government media reported that a missile strike hit passenger buses on the Taiz-Lahj road, while shelling displaced families from Hodeidah and Mokha.
- What areas are most contested?
- Mokha and territory west of Taiz are focal points because isolating the government-held port could change access between coastal government areas.
- What changed before this offensive?
- The UN-brokered truce brought relative calm, but fighting intensified after it broke down in July amid the regional war with Iran.
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The catch
The reporting gives no confirmed combined toll after Saturday or verified account of territorial changes.
Casualty reports vary by source.