Additional Coverage:
Deadly Clashes Escalate in Yemen as Houthi Rebels Launch Attacks on Government Forces
CAIRO – Intense fighting resumed in Yemen on Thursday, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels launching attacks that killed at least 30 government soldiers and wounded around 50 more, according to Yemeni officials. The strikes targeted military camps in the central and eastern provinces of Marib and Hadramout, key strongholds of the internationally recognized government.
Officials, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, described the assaults as a significant escalation following a de facto truce that had largely held since April 2022. The truce had curbed major hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition that supports Yemen’s government.
While Yemen’s military confirmed casualties among its ranks, it did not release specific numbers regarding fatalities. Meanwhile, a senior Houthi commander, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating they involved ballistic missiles and drone strikes. Saree asserted the operations were in retaliation to increased Saudi-backed troop deployments in eastern Yemen.
According to Saree, the attacks inflicted heavy casualties on “hundreds of Saudi enemy mercenaries,” as well as causing extensive damage to military camps, supply depots, vehicles, and weaponry. He called on the Yemeni population to remain alert and resist what he described as ongoing Saudi aggression.
The United States mission in Yemen condemned the attacks, extending condolences to the families of the fallen Yemeni soldiers. In a statement on social media, the U.S. characterized the Houthi actions as “yet another example of their terrorism against the Yemeni people.”
The conflict in Yemen has persisted since 2014, beginning with the Houthis’ takeover of the capital, Sanaa, which forced the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore the government, but the war has since devolved into a protracted stalemate marked by shifting frontlines and heavy civilian suffering.
The Houthis justify their recent aggressive actions-including a naval blockade impacting Saudi shipping routes in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait-as a response to the Kingdom’s longstanding air and sea blockade on Yemen, which has been in place since 2015. The renewed violence threatens to further destabilize an already fragile region and complicate ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.