Yemen Government Launches Airstrikes on Houthis in Major Escalation

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has begun using its own warplanes more heavily against the Houthis, launching at least 15 strikes in a single day. The attacks mark a sharp escalation in fighting that has not reached this intensity since the fragile truce of 2022.

According to the Yemeni military, government aircraft struck Houthi positions, gatherings and vehicles on Friday in the western provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah. The air campaign backed government forces battling a major Houthi offensive toward the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a crucial gateway for international shipping.

The latest strikes are not the first government air attacks since the truce began to unravel in July. Yemeni military officials cited by Reuters said government aircraft hit missile and drone launch sites and weapons depots in Marib and al-Jawf on July 25. On July 13, the government said its forces had struck the runway at Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing.

But Friday’s operation represents a significant expansion of the government’s direct use of air power. During the most intense years of Yemen’s war, Saudi-led coalition aircraft supplied much of the aerial support for forces fighting the Houthis.

The Iran-backed Houthis are pushing through western Taiz and southern Hodeidah toward al-Makha, also known as Mocha, and territory overlooking Bab al-Mandeb. Holding that area could strengthen their position along the Red Sea, where the group has previously attacked commercial and military vessels, while putting a key government supply route at risk.

The fighting is unfolding alongside broader regional tensions. The Houthis have recently declared a Red Sea maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, while disruption in the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israel war with Iran has increased the strategic importance of alternative routes through the Red Sea. Any expansion of Houthi influence around Bab al-Mandeb could therefore affect shipping well beyond Yemen.