Yemen clashes kill over 120 as Houthis push toward Red Sea strait

Fierce ground fighting in southwest Yemen has killed over 190 people, including civilians, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels push to capture strategic territory near the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The escalation follows the July 2026 collapse of a fragile 2022 ceasefire. Saudi Arabia has launched retaliatory airstrikes to support government forces, while a Houthi missile strike on a civilian bus killed six people. The battle threatens global trade routes already strained by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemen ground offensive escalation

• ▪Clashes between Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces killed 129 people on September 4, 2026, and more than 60 people on September 5, 2026, marking some of the deadliest fighting in years
• ▪Yemeni government forces dispatched military reinforcements from Aden to Taiz to counter the advancing Houthi rebels
• ▪Ground fighting in Yemen escalated on September 4 and 5, 2026, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a broad offensive against Saudi-backed government forces in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah

July ceasefire collapse

• ▪Houthi rebels launched an offensive to capture strategic hills overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait to gain control over naval traffic in the Red Sea
• ▪The collapse of the 2022 ceasefire in July 2026 was followed by the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and targeting its shipping

Bab al-Mandeb strait control

• ▪The Bab al-Mandeb strait has gained increased strategic importance for Saudi Arabian oil exports following Iran's virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz in March 2026
• ▪A missile strike on September 5, 2026, hit a bus travelling between Taiz and Aden, killing six civilians and injuring seven others

Civilian bus missile strike

• ▪Saudi Arabia conducted three airstrikes on September 5, 2026, targeting military positions recently captured by Houthi rebels in Taiz
• ▪Yemeni government officials blamed the Houthi rebel movement for the September 5, 2026, missile strike on the civilian bus

7 sources