Yemen Fighting Death Toll Surpasses 300 as Houthis Push Toward Bab al-Mandab
More than 300 people have been killed in days of fighting as Houthi forces seek to cut off the Red Sea port of Mokha and advance toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The death toll from days of intense fighting between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has surpassed 300, according to military and medical sources, as hundreds of families have fled their homes amid a renewed offensive threatening key routes to the Red Sea.
Two military officials from the internationally recognized Yemeni government told AFP that 84 government troops were killed between midday Saturday and early Sunday, most of them in missile attacks.
Four Houthi military sources said 57 of their fighters were killed during the same period.
The latest escalation is the deadliest flare-up in Yemen since a fragile ceasefire collapsed in July, with the Houthis seeking to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha and advance toward areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
A government military official said the Houthis succeeded on Saturday evening in cutting the road linking the city of Taiz with Mokha, potentially disrupting a key supply and transportation route.
An AFP tally based on military and medical sources from both sides put the number of combatants and civilians killed since the Houthi offensive began at more than 300.
Families Flee Intense Fighting
Hundreds of families have fled fighting in the Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi districts of Taiz governorate, seeking shelter in camps for internally displaced people.
Displaced residents arrived carrying mattresses, livestock and other belongings as they sought safety from artillery fire and clashes.
“The shooting came at us from above and from below,” Rawdhah Hasan, a woman displaced from Maqbanah, told AFP.
“They surrounded us from every direction, we fled with our children without even putting on our shoes,” she said.
Nimah Saif, who fled Jabal Habashi, said residents had witnessed people being killed and wounded during the fighting.
“Now we are stranded here, hungry, with nothing to eat,” she said.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday that an estimated 1,790 households had been displaced following intense shelling and clashes in Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by the continuing clashes and warned of potentially devastating political, economic and security consequences for Yemen and its population.
Houthis Advance Toward Red Sea Gateway
The Houthi offensive began Thursday with the stated aim of cutting off Mokha, which has come under fire for weeks, and advancing toward territory bordering the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
A government military official said fighting had eased in the early hours of Sunday after government forces established positions north of Hays, a frontline district less than 30 kilometers inland from the Red Sea coast.
However, the official said the Houthis had made advances west of Taiz, south of Hays, as they continued their push toward Bab al-Mandab.
Farea Al-Muslimi, a Middle East expert at Chatham House, said the Houthis were seeking to exploit weaknesses around the Mokha front and sever links between Taiz, Mokha and Bab al-Mandab.
“If they have a chance to fully take over Bab al-Mandab, they won't hesitate for a second,” he said.
Adam Baron, a fellow at New America, said the Houthi offensive had “shattered much of what was left” of Yemen’s already fragile ceasefire.
“Things increasingly appear to be on a path to escalation with few potential off-ramps,” he said.
Bab al-Mandab Gains Strategic Importance
The renewed fighting comes as regional tensions have increased sharply, further raising the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and provides a major maritime route between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.
With Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, disruption around Bab al-Mandab could place additional pressure on global maritime trade and energy shipments.
A fragile truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government collapsed in July after the Houthis welcomed an Iranian aircraft to the capital, Sanaa, triggering a new wave of attacks.
The Houthis have since announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and begun attacking Saudi-linked ships and territory, further increasing the risks surrounding vital shipping routes in the region.
The latest offensive therefore threatens not only to deepen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis but also to widen instability around two of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints — the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.