Yemen Slides Back Towards Full-Scale War as Houthis and Government Exchange Attacks
Yemen is facing a renewed escalation as government forces and the Houthi group exchange attacks across the country, raising fears that years of fragile calm could collapse into full-scale war.
Yemeni government forces said they carried out 81 attacks on Houthi positions within 24 hours, claiming that several fighters and field commanders were killed or neutralised.
The Houthis, meanwhile, said they launched two drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia’s Najran province, claiming to have struck Najran airport and an Aramco facility. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the claims.
Fighting has intensified over the past month, with missile and drone attacks reported across much of Yemen’s previously frozen front line. Both sides have also accused each other of targeting civilian infrastructure, including ports and airports.
The conflict began escalating after the Houthis seized large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014. A UN-backed truce in 2022 largely halted major fighting, but the latest attacks have renewed concerns about a return to large-scale conflict.
The humanitarian situation is already severe, with the UN estimating that at least 18 million people in Yemen lack reliable access to sufficient food.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has urged both sides to immediately halt actions that could push Yemen back into full-scale war and spare civilians from further suffering.
The renewed violence also comes amid growing maritime insecurity, with a tanker reportedly boarded by armed men off Yemen’s coast and diverted towards Somalia.
