Below is a polished, detailed Aalimi Nation website version. I’ve kept casualty figures and battlefield claims attributed to the Yemeni government/official sources, because several of the claims are not independently verifiable. Recent reporting also confirms that fighting around Marib and the Bab al-Mandab/Kahboub front has intensified significantly. (Arab News)
Yemeni Forces Intensify Operations Against Houthis as Fighting Escalates Around Marib and Bab al-Mandab
SANAA/ADEN: Fighting between Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces and the Houthi movement has intensified across several fronts, with government forces reporting renewed clashes around Marib, operations in Al-Bayda, and the interception of a Houthi drone near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The latest escalation comes after months of relative calm along several Yemeni front lines. Fighting has intensified since July, with both sides now engaged in sustained military operations across Marib, Taiz, Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda and areas overlooking the Red Sea. Recent reports indicate particularly heavy fighting around the approaches to Marib and the Kahboub front near Bab al-Mandab.
Yemeni Forces Say Houthi Assaults Repelled Around Marib
Commander of Yemen’s Third Military Region, Major General Mansour bin Abdullah Thawaba, said government forces were continuing military operations in Marib and had repelled recent Houthi attacks on government-held positions in the southern part of the governorate.
According to statements carried by the Yemeni Armed Forces’ media centre, Thawaba said the government's military campaign was no longer limited to defending existing positions. He said the objective was also to recover territory controlled by the Houthis and restore state institutions.
Government forces have reported heavy fighting south of Marib in areas including Hareb, Mala’a and Um Rish. A senior Yemeni army officer told Arab News that at least 80 Houthi fighters had reportedly been killed during intense fighting over a 24-hour period, although the figure has not been independently verified.
The Houthi movement has not independently confirmed the government’s reported casualty figures.
Heavy Losses Reported After Southern Marib Clashes
Thawaba said government forces had successfully confronted Houthi attacks in southern Marib and inflicted casualties on the attacking forces.
He claimed that dozens of Houthi fighters had been killed, wounded or captured, and said bodies of Houthi fighters remained in valleys and mountainous areas following the clashes.
The commander also claimed that some Houthi units had withdrawn from combat areas without evacuating wounded fighters or recovering the bodies of those killed.
These casualty and battlefield claims were made by the Yemeni government side and could not be independently verified.
Unified Command and Joint Operations
Thawaba said government forces operating along the Marib front and other areas were coordinating their operations through a joint operations room under unified command.
He said ground forces were working in coordination with air units during the latest military operations, with intelligence, surveillance and battlefield coordination being used to target Houthi positions and reinforcements.
The military commander also called on tribes and residents in Houthi-controlled areas not to allow their children to be recruited or sent to the front lines.
He warned that young recruits were being exposed to combat in which they could be killed or seriously wounded.
Houthi Drone Shot Down Near Bab al-Mandab
The escalation has also spread to the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's major maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen’s government-aligned Nation’s Shield Forces said members of its First Brigade had shot down a Houthi drone flying over the Kahboub front, near Bab al-Mandab.
The forces released video footage that they said showed the interception of the drone. The type of aircraft and the mission it was allegedly carrying out were not immediately disclosed.
The Kahboub area has witnessed repeated clashes in recent days as Houthi forces have attempted to pressure government positions on strategically important high ground overlooking the maritime route. Recent reporting indicates that government forces have so far resisted Houthi attempts to advance on some positions in the area. (Arab News)
The strategic importance of the area has increased further because the Bab al-Mandab Strait is a critical route for international shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Government Forces Report Strikes in Al-Bayda
In another development, Yemeni military spokesman Majed Al-Nazili said government forces had carried out operations against Houthi personnel and military equipment in Al-Bayda governorate.
The military said its forces targeted Houthi positions, equipment and gatherings in the province.
According to government statements, air operations have also targeted military infrastructure including missile-launching sites, communications equipment and weapons and military supply depots.
The government released video footage that it said showed strikes against Houthi positions, although independent verification of the footage and the reported damage was not immediately available. (Anadolu Ajansı)
Fighting Spreads Across Multiple Fronts
The latest developments are part of a broader military escalation that has spread across several Yemeni provinces.
Government forces have recently reported operations in Marib, Taiz, Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda and areas near the Red Sea coast, while Houthi forces have continued attacks against government positions and have claimed their own military successes.
The escalation represents a major deterioration from the relative calm that followed the 2022 UN-brokered truce, which significantly reduced large-scale fighting even though Yemen's political conflict remained unresolved.
Recent reporting describes the renewed fighting as among the most serious escalations since that period of relative calm. (Al Jazeera)
Strategic Importance of Bab al-Mandab
The fighting around Bab al-Mandab has raised particular international concern because of the strait's importance to global trade.
The narrow waterway links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a major route for commercial shipping travelling between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Control of territory overlooking the strait gives military forces the ability to threaten shipping routes and monitor movements through one of the world's most strategically important maritime corridors.
Recent clashes around the Kahboub mountains have therefore attracted attention well beyond Yemen's borders. (Arab News)
Houthi Casualties Reported
The Houthis have also announced losses among their fighters.
Houthi-linked media recently reported the deaths of 73 fighters, including 25 military personnel holding ranks, in a new series of funeral announcements.
According to the report cited by Al Arabiya, the number of Houthi fighters whose funerals had been publicly announced since late July had reached 413.
The figures come from Houthi-affiliated sources and have not been independently verified.
Separately, Yemen’s government said seven Houthi members, including a senior commander, were killed in clashes near Kahboub. The Houthis did not immediately comment on that specific claim. (Anadolu Ajansı)
Yemen Conflict Enters a New Phase of Escalation
Yemen has remained divided since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country in 2014.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in 2015 in support of Yemen's internationally recognised government. Years of fighting followed, causing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Although the 2022 truce substantially reduced the intensity of the conflict, no comprehensive political settlement followed.
The latest fighting indicates that the military balance remains highly contested, with both sides seeking to strengthen their positions and control strategically important territory.
For the Yemeni government, the immediate focus is on preventing further Houthi advances towards key areas including Marib and the Red Sea coast.
For the Houthis, control or influence over territory near Bab al-Mandab would provide significant strategic leverage because of the area's proximity to one of the world's most important shipping routes.
With fighting now reported across several fronts, concerns are growing that Yemen could be entering another prolonged period of military escalation.
Aalimi Nation | International Desk
With inputs from international news agencies
