Houthi Activity Intensifies Near Saudi Border, Fierce Fighting in Yemen

Amid rising tensions with Saudi Arabia, the Iran-backed Houthi group has stepped up efforts to expand the territory it controls in Yemen. Local officials said fierce fighting broke out on Sunday between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in several mountainous areas of southwestern Yemen.
Saudi-backed Yemeni military official Abdul Basit Al-Baher said fighting was taking place in the areas of Al-Wazi’iyah, Al-Madaribah and Al-Ara. He claimed that if the Houthis seize these areas, they could cut off the connection between the southern capital, Aden, and the city of Taiz, potentially leaving Saudi-backed forces in Taiz under siege.
Meanwhile, intense clashes have also taken place in recent days in Kahbub, a strategically important mountainous area overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Concerns have resurfaced over control of the waterway, which is crucial to international maritime trade.
Earlier on Saturday, the Houthis claimed that they had launched missile and drone attacks on the Saudi capital Riyadh and the country’s oil facilities.
The group claimed that the attacks were carried out in response to Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. Saudi authorities have not claimed responsibility for the recent airstrikes and have not responded to the Houthis’ claim that they shot down Saudi fighter jets.
According to a report by The New York Times, the Houthis’ influence over the waterway has increased further after they recently took control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline. The report, citing analysts, also said that the group is simultaneously seeking to capture more territory in the Taiz and Marib provinces.
The conflict between the Houthis and the Yemeni government has continued since the group seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. After the fragile ceasefire declared in 2022 collapsed, the Saudi-Houthi conflict intensified again in July.
Source: The New York Times