Fighting between forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government and Houthi rebels has intensified across western Yemen, with government troops claiming the recapture of a strategically important district as clashes in Taiz province reportedly killed more than 60 people, including civilians.
Yemen’s military said its forces had regained control of Hais district, located south of Hodeidah, in an operation that could strengthen the government side’s position along a key area connecting Hodeidah with the neighbouring provinces of Taiz and Ibb.
The development comes amid renewed ground and air fighting between the two sides across several fronts, particularly in Taiz and Hodeidah provinces and along Yemen’s western Red Sea coastline.
The fighting has marked a significant escalation following tit-for-tat attacks that began last week, with government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis launching strikes and ground operations against opposing positions.
Government forces claim territorial gains
According to Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency, Yemen’s military announced that its forces had recaptured Hais district from the Houthis.
The area is strategically significant because of its position linking three provinces, making control of the district important to military movements and access between parts of western Yemen.
Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi welcomed the reported military gains and said Yemen’s armed forces had the capability to eventually restore government control over the country’s territory.
Al-Alimi also issued a warning to the Houthis, saying the group would face consequences for its actions.
He specifically referred to Iran when declaring that Taiz would not become a “corridor” for the group’s backers.
The council chairman further argued that what he described as Houthi “miscalculations” would ultimately result in the group’s “complete collapse.”
His remarks came as government troops continued operations against Houthi positions in several areas, with the conflict once again producing casualties and fresh displacement.
Fighting spreads across Taiz and Hodeidah
The military confrontation has not been confined to Hais.
Fayad al-Numan, deputy undersecretary at Yemen’s Ministry of Information, said government forces had captured dozens of Houthi fighters during fighting in the nearby al-Jarahi district.
Government troops later launched a counteroffensive in the area as fighting continued.
Yemeni forces also carried out attacks against Houthi positions in parts of Taiz and Lahj on Saturday, according to the supplied account.
Yemeni media reported that military drones targeted Houthi reinforcements south of al-Jarahi while ground forces conducted a simultaneous assault.
The reported use of drones and coordinated ground operations indicates the intensity of the latest military push as government forces attempt to consolidate positions and prevent further Houthi advances.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported on Sunday that powerful explosions could be heard in Taiz, while Yemen’s Defence Ministry had deployed new weapons systems in the area.
Yemen’s military spokesman, Colonel Majed al-Nozaili, said government forces had targeted a Houthi position in the province in response to what he described as the group’s “violations and escalation.”
The competing accounts underline the rapidly changing situation on several fronts, with both sides reporting attacks and attempting to portray their military operations as defensive or retaliatory actions.
More than 60 reportedly killed in Taiz
The renewed fighting has exacted a heavy human cost.
More than 60 people, including civilians, were killed in clashes in Taiz on Saturday, according to the AFP news agency.
The reported casualty figure comes as civilian areas have increasingly been caught up in the latest fighting.
Yemen’s state news agency, Saba’a, reported that Houthi shelling struck a civilian gathering along the road connecting Taiz and Aden. According to the report, four civilians were killed and nine others were wounded.
The competing claims and reports from the battlefield make the overall casualty picture difficult to independently establish, but the reported deaths demonstrate the risks facing communities in areas where military positions and civilian routes overlap.
The latest escalation has also forced families to leave their homes as fighting moves closer to populated areas.
1,800 families displaced
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said approximately 1,800 families had been displaced during the two days of intensified fighting in Taiz.
The displacement figure highlights the humanitarian consequences of the military escalation beyond the immediate battlefield.
Families fleeing affected areas face the challenge of finding safety while fighting continues across multiple fronts. The rapid displacement also places additional pressure on communities and humanitarian responders already dealing with the consequences of Yemen’s prolonged conflict.
The latest displacement comes after years of instability in Yemen, where repeated fighting has disrupted civilian life and damaged essential infrastructure.
The renewed clashes in Taiz therefore risk creating another wave of humanitarian needs if the fighting continues or spreads to additional populated areas.
Government warns Houthis over Bab al-Mandeb
The Yemeni government has also issued a warning concerning the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Authorities said any attempt by the Houthis to move towards the waterway would face what they described as “harsh attrition.”
The warning adds a strategic maritime dimension to the latest escalation, particularly because the western coastline and areas around Hodeidah are closely connected to access routes around the Red Sea.
Government forces are seeking to prevent the Houthis from strengthening their positions in areas that could provide access towards strategically important territory.
The reported recapture of Hais is consequently being viewed by the government as more than a local battlefield development. Its location between Hodeidah, Taiz and Ibb gives it importance for controlling movement between provinces.
Iran remains central to government accusations
The latest confrontation has also revived the Yemeni government’s accusations regarding Iranian support for the Houthis.
Al-Alimi directly referred to Iran when warning that Taiz would not serve as a corridor for the group’s backers.
The Houthis are widely described in the supplied account as Iran-backed rebels, while the Yemeni government has repeatedly framed the conflict as part of a broader confrontation involving regional powers.
The government’s rhetoric suggests that it views the latest military campaign not only as an attempt to regain territory but also as an effort to restrict the Houthis’ ability to receive or move support through western Yemen.
For the Houthis, however, the renewed fighting is part of a conflict that has persisted despite repeated attempts to reduce hostilities.
Escalation creates fresh humanitarian pressure
The reported deaths, civilian casualties and displacement indicate that the latest offensive is already carrying serious consequences for communities in Taiz and surrounding areas.
With approximately 1,800 families displaced in only two days, according to OCHA, continued fighting could rapidly increase humanitarian needs.
The government’s reported gains at Hais and al-Jarahi have also been accompanied by continued Houthi resistance, making it unclear whether the latest territorial changes will hold as fighting develops.
Government forces say they are determined to continue their offensive, while officials have warned the Houthis against expanding their movements towards strategically sensitive areas such as Bab al-Mandeb.
For now, Taiz and the surrounding western front remain at the centre of the renewed confrontation.
The recapture of Hais has given Yemen’s internationally recognised government a significant claim of battlefield progress, but the heavy casualties and mass displacement reported in Taiz show that the latest escalation is far from resolved.
As military operations continue across Taiz, Hodeidah and Lahj, civilians remain exposed to the consequences of a conflict in which territorial gains, regional rivalries and competing military offensives continue to drive renewed violence.
Yemeni Forces Recapture Strategic Hais District as Houthi Clashes Leave More Than 60 Dead
![Houthi supporters walk in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 13, 2026, with posters of Iranian scientists killed in Israeli strikes in the background [Osamah Abdulrahman/AP]](https://i0.wp.com/wifeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1788675904012.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1)
Houthi supporters walk in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 13, 2026, with posters of Iranian scientists killed in Israeli strikes in the background [Osamah Abdulrahman/AP]
