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‘Everyone lives in fear’: Yemenis dread renewed war as Houthis launch attacks
🇵🇸 Palestine /Conflict & Security

‘Everyone lives in fear’: Yemenis dread renewed war as Houthis launch attacks

From Times of Israel · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Yemen's civil conflict has reignited, causing widespread fear of renewed war among citizens.
  • Rebel Houthi attacks on government areas, including Mokha port and Marib province, have disrupted a 2022 truce.
  • Residents recall past displacement and violence, expressing deep anxiety for their families' safety.

Yemenis are living in dread as renewed hostilities between Houthi rebels and the government threaten to plunge the country back into all-out war. A fragile 2022 truce had brought relative calm after years of brutal civil conflict that killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Now, rebel attacks on government-held areas, including the port city of Mokha and military camps in Marib province, have shattered that peace.

I do not want our lives to be haunted by constant panic caused by Houthi terror. Mokha used to be a safe city and a haven for many Yemenis.

— AnwarA father of two from Hodeida, expressing his fear after renewed Houthi attacks in Mokha.

Anwar, a father of two from Hodeida, recounted fleeing the Houthis' advance and finding refuge in Mokha. Explosions last week near his home revived his deepest fears. "I do not want our lives to be haunted by constant panic caused by Houthi terror," he told AFP. "Mokha used to be a safe city and a haven for many Yemenis." He expressed the profound anxiety of fearing for his children's safety above his own.

The hardest part is not fearing for my own safety, but fearing for my children and family.

— AnwarDescribing the emotional toll of the renewed conflict.

The government stated it retaliated after deadly attacks struck military camps and residential areas housing displaced people. The Houthis had previously welcomed an Iranian plane and announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, which led a coalition that heavily bombed Yemen during the war. The renewed fighting has brought the specter of war back, with residents like Najem Hammoud al-Wahbani in Mokha saying, "Everyone lives in fear." He described hearing distant shelling and fearing it could soon reach their doorstep.

Everyone lives in fear.

— Najem Hammoud al-WahbaniA Mokha resident describing the atmosphere following the Houthi attacks.

For families like Anwar's, the return of conflict is particularly devastating. His three-year-old daughter, born after the truce, has never known war. When explosions rocked their city, he told her they were fireworks for a wedding, unable to bear telling her the truth. The escalating violence underscores the precariousness of peace in Yemen and the deep-seated anxieties of a population weary of conflict.

Every day, Houthi missiles and drones fly overhead. We hear shelling in the distance, but we fear that, tomorrow, it could be right here.

— Najem Hammoud al-WahbaniDetailing the immediate threats faced by residents.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of Israel. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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