Iran-backed Houthis clash with Yemeni government forces, raising fears of renewed civil war

Aug 7, 2026

Clashes between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have intensified in Taiz and Marib, shattering the 2022 truce. Recent Houthi drone, missile, and shipping attacks have killed dozens of government soldiers and civilians, including six on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. UN officials warn that Yemen faces its highest risk of large-scale civil war since 2022, threatening to worsen a humanitarian crisis where 6 million people face emergency food insecurity.

Houthi attacks on government

▪Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces engaged in overnight clashes in the mountainous province of Taiz on August 13, 2026.
▪Houthi rebels targeted Yemeni government military sites in eastern Yemen with drones and rockets, hitting an arms depot and triggering artillery exchanges in Sirwah and Al-Kasara.
▪Houthi rebels launched drone and missile strikes targeting Yemeni government military camps, arsenals, and vehicles in the Sahn al-Jinn camp in Marib province on August 7, 2026.

Collapse of 2022 truce

▪The Houthis declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, 2026, subsequently launching drone and missile attacks on Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Jazan and Yanbu.
▪The 2022 nationwide truce that paused heavy fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces unraveled in July 2026.
▪Tensions escalated on July 13, 2026, when Yemeni government forces attacked Sanaa airport to block an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing.

Military casualties

▪At least one Yemeni government soldier was killed and another critically wounded during the clashes in Taiz province on August 13, 2026.
▪Houthi attacks on government forces in Marib province on August 7, 2026, killed eight military personnel and wounded 12 others.
▪Houthi attacks on August 6, 2026, killed at least 58 Yemeni government troops, primarily in Marib province, marking one of the deadliest incidents in years.

Civilian casualties

▪A Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on August 11, 2026, killed six people, including three Pakistani nationals, and injured 10 others.
▪Houthi shelling of residential areas and displacement camps in Marib city on August 7, 2026, killed at least two civilians and wounded 14 others.

Regional escalation risks

▪A source close to the Saudi military warned that the Saudi-led coalition would not allow the Houthis to take over Marib, calling the strategic province a red line.
▪Saudi Arabia announced a new 13-country maritime defense alliance in July 2026 and signed a joint defense agreement with Pakistan and Turkiye to secure Red Sea shipping.

UN humanitarian warnings

▪UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated that 6 million people in Yemen face emergency levels of food insecurity bordering on famine, the highest number globally.
▪UN special envoy Hans Grundberg warned the UN Security Council on August 13, 2026, that Yemen faces its highest risk of returning to large-scale conflict since the 2022 truce.