2026 Yemen offensives
2026 Houthi‒PLC clashes in Yemen
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On 3 September 2026, heavy fighting broke out between the Houthis and the Yemeni Government (Presidential Leadership Council; PLC) amid the ongoing Yemeni civil war.[17] The clashes began with a Houthi offensive in Taiz Governorate, prompting a PLC counter-offensive against Houthi forces in the Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda governorates.[7][17] The fighting coincides with the ongoing 2026 Iran war and marks the deadliest fighting in Yemen since the collapse of the 2022 ceasefire.[18]
(1 week and 1 day)
changes
- Houthis capture Mokha, Hanish Islands, Hays and Al Khawkhah districts in Al-Hudaydah Governorate and Dhubab and Al-Makha districts in Taiz Governorate[2][3][4][5]
- PLC said its forces captured Al-Yatma and Labanat military camp in Al-Jawf Governorate[6][7]
| 2026 Yemen offensives | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war (2014–present) and the spillover of 2026 Iran war | |||||||||
Political and military control in Yemen as of 10 September 2026:
(For a detailed map of the military situation in Yemen and border areas in Saudi Arabia, see here.) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
Supported by: United States[10] | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Abdul Malik al-Houthi Mahdi al-Mashat Mohamed al-Atifi Yusuf al-Madani[11] Abdolreza Shahlaei[12] |
 Rashad al-Alimi Taher al-Aqili Mohammed bin Salman Turki al-Maliki | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 278 killed[14] |
216 killed[14] Per SPC: 3 vehicles destroyed[15] 1 UAV shot down[16] | ||||||||
Background
2022 ceasefire and the Red Sea crisis
The Houthis and the internationally recognized government of Yemen reached a ceasefire agreement in 2022, which largely held until the 2026 campaign. Peace talks stalled in 2023 amid the Gaza war.[19] Starting on 19 October 2023, the Houthis began launching missiles and drones at international shipping crossing the Bab-el-Mandeb strait in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza, triggering the Red Sea crisis. In response, a US-led multinational coalition launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in late 2023 to secure shipping through the Red Sea. In early 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom launched a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi missile and drone launch sites across Yemen. In March 2025, the United States launched a larger wave of strikes against the Houthis, after which the Houthis agreed to stop attacking U.S. vessels in the Red Sea.[citation needed]
2026 Iran war and escalation
On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran, aimed at regime change. Iran and its allied militias, including Hezbollah and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, retaliated against U.S., Israeli, and other regional countries' military and energy infrastructure with drone and missile strikes. During this period, however, the Houthis refrained from joining the fighting, breaking with the rest of the Axis of Resistance, later joining the war on 28 March.[20]
Since the US navy reimposed its naval blockade against Iran on 14 July 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran threatened to cut “all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies” with a senior Houthi official warning that the group was prepared to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.[21] On 16 July 2026, Reuters reported that Iran has asked the Houthis to be ready to close Bab al-Mandab Strait should the US strike Iranian power infrastructure. Soon after the Houthis began deploying drones and missile near Bab el-Mandeb Strait.[22]
On 13 July 2026, a Mahan Air flight carrying IRGC commanders and weapons attempted to land at Sanaa Airport, in the Houthi-controlled capital.[23] Yemeni government forces and Saudi Arabia responded by striking the airport's runway to prevent the landing. In retaliation for the strike, the Houthis declared the ceasefire with the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia over.[24] On 20 July, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, amid the renewed U.S. naval blockade of Iran.[25] The Houthis subsequently began striking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. On 24 July, Saudi Arabia retaliated against the earlier Houthi strikes on its oil tankers by bombing Houthi targets in the port city of Hodeidah. In response, the Houthis struck the Jizan oil refinery and the port city of Yanbu in Saudi Arabia two days later.[26] Starting on 6 August, the Houthis also started striking Yemeni government forces across the country with missiles and drones, killing and injuring dozens of troops.[27]
Timeline
3 September
The Houthis launched what was described as a "massive offensive" in the Taiz Governorate, attempting to cut the road linking Taiz to Mokha and thus sever Taiz city from the coast and escalate the Siege of Taiz. At least 129 people were reportedly killed in the clashes. Despite initial Houthi gains, Yemeni government forces (PLC) were able to regain control of some of the areas they had lost.[17][28]
4 September
The PLC said it had recaptured the al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills in the Jabal Habashi district west of Taiz city.[29]
6 September
The PLC said it had taken full control of Hays district in Hodeidah governorate and advanced in western Taiz.[30]
7 September
The PLC said it had made advances on several fronts in Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda regions and that government forces had taken control of Al-Labanat military camp and were moving toward the town of Al Hazm.[7]
The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes and cruise missile attacks across Yemen,[9] including on a prison in al Hazm, killing 23 people, including a child.[31] They also claimed a ballistic missile strike on a military convoy en route to Al-Wadiah military base in Hadhramaut.[32]
The Yemeni National Resistance claimed that several Somali al-Shabaab militants were killed fighting alongside the Houthis in western Yemen.[33]
8 September
The PLC said their offensive aimed to capture the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and reported that government-aligned forces had advanced on the outskirts of Dhi Na'im district in Al-Bayda governorate and had captured the town of Yatma in Al-Jawf governorate.[1]
The Houthis struck the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, Jizan and Najran in Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles, wounding 73 people and damaging several oil sites.[34] Houthi shelling on an IDP camp in Marib killed two children and injured 15 others.[35] The Houthis also accused Saudi Arabia of conducting airstrikes on multiple sites in Yemen.[36]
The PLC said that it recaptured Al-Mukazama and Al-Mihal in Taiz and struck a Houthi gathering in Jabal Habashi.[37]
During fighting in Taiz, the National Resistance said that it captured Ali al-Adhari, a senior leader in the Houthi rapid intervention unit in al-Barh.[38]
9 September
Houthi media reported 32 Saudi airstrikes in the regions of Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Hodeidah.[39]
Yemeni army airstrikes also hit Houthi positions in Maqbanah,[40] where an offensive was launched to capture Kadha. Also in Taiz, the PLC said that it retook Makazma, Mihal hill, Hamra, Sawda, and Shiek,[41] while a Houthi offensive targeting al-Wazi'iyah was repelled.[42]
The PLC launched a major offensive in southern Marib, capturing several areas, as well as villages in al-Kaddah in Taiz.[43] Government-run Saba News Agency reported that an attack by the Houthis in Marib killed three children.[17]
Clashes occurred in al-Bayda, al-Dhale, Hodeidah. Additionally, Houthi shelling killed two civilians in Hays. The Southern Giants Brigades said it struck a Houthi combat vehicle in al-Bayda, killing its occupants.[42]
An airstrike reportedly hit a gathering of Houthi leaders in al-Bahr that included Houthi defense minister Mohamed al-Atifi, although his fate was unclear.[44]
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said that the Houthis conducted drone and ballistic missile attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jizan.[45] The Houthis seized the Khalid bin Walid camp after several clashes with the PLC in Taiz Governorate.[46]
A Yemeni army (PLC) convoy was ambushed while driving on a road in Hays, Hodeidah governorate when it was shot by suspected Houthi soldiers, killing one person and injuring a couple more.[47]
Remnants of the Southern Transitional Council—now identifying as the "Southern Resistance"—blocked local roads in Dhale and ambushed a convoy transporting Tahir Al-Aqili with the use of light and heavy weaponry, alongside drones and the support of local rioters;[48][49][50][51] They further also targetted the local Aboud military camp.[51] Alongside Tahir, a variety of important Yemeni political figures were also present at the convoy visiting the area, including the Governor of Al-Dhali’ Governorate Ahmed Al-Qubba, the Commander of the Eighth Military Region Hadi Al-Awlaqi, the Commander of the 33rd Armored Division Major General Wajdi Al-Zubaidi. Tahir was initially detained by the militia, but his release through a tribal mediation was later exchanged with the release of Mohsen Al-Daeri and under further conditions that the politician would never visit the town again. After his release Tahir was transported to Aden by Brigadier General Wajdi Al-Zubaidi and escorted into an unspecified safe zone.[48][52]
10 September
Houthi forces captured the districts of Hays and Al Khawkhah in Hodeidah province, as well as the town of Mokha in western Taiz province, following advances.[53] The PLC said that its forces had retreated toward the Dhubab district near the Bab al-Mandab strait.[2][54]
A Houthi strike in Mafraq Harib in Marib killed three children and injured six others.[55] The Houthis said that they shot down a Karayel drone from Saudi Arabia over Hajjah Governorate.[56]
Later in the day, reports emerged that the Houthis also captured the Hanish Islands in Hodeidah governorate, amid unverified claims of the capture of the strategically located Dhubab district and Perim island in the Bab al-Mandeb strait.[3][4]
The Houthis said that Saudi Arabia had conducted 64 airstrikes in Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, and Al-Jawf, adding that their air defenses repelled an aerial squadron over Taiz.[57]
11 September
The Houthis completed the capture of Yemen's entire Bab-el-Mandeb coastline, capturing Dhubab and Perim Island, as well as al-Omari camp.[58]
Saudi airstrikes hit the airport in Mokha.[59]
Foreign involvement
For the Houthis
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly guided and armed the Houthi offensive in an effort to open a new front in the 2026 Iran war. The offensive across the Tihamah, the plains of Yemen's Red Sea coast, was led by IRGC Quds Force officer Abdolreza Shahlaei.[60]
According to the Yemeni National Resistance, the bodies of several fighters from al-Shabaab, a militant group based in Somalia, were recovered among Houthi casualties during the clashes and identified using personal documents and belongings. Although the claim was not independently verified, cooperation between the Houthis and al-Shabaab has been recorded since at least 2023, according to The Wall Street Journal.[61]
For the PLC and Saudi Arabia
According to CNN, over 100 American military advisers who were stationed in Saudi Arabia weeks earlier due to signs that Iran was increasing aid to the Houthis were providing intelligence support to the Saudi military during the offensives. The support included a targeting tool that was compared to Project Maven as well as geospatial intelligence for strikes against the militia.[62] Despite US support, president Donald Trump rejected a request by Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman to strike the Houthis.[63]
Turkish media reported that Pakistan was considering conducting airstrikes against the Houthis as part of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,[64] and Pakistani defense minister Khawaja Asif warned that the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could activate the pact.[65] Pakistan later said that there were no talks regarding military action, but that the country would act "when the time comes".[66]
