129 Killed as Houthis Launch First Major Offensive in Taiz Since 2022 ww3 map
Yemen's Houthis launched their first large-scale offensive since 2022 after a ceasefire breakdown in July, resulting in at least 81-129 deaths as government forces counterattacked and retook positions, with developments tracked on the ww3 map. The offensive began on Thursday with Houthi artillery, ballistic missiles, and drone strikes targeting areas along the Red Sea in Taiz province, including assaults toward the key government-controlled port city of Mokha. [1]
Offensive Launch and Initial Assaults
The large-scale offensive comes after the breakdown of a truce between the Houthis and Yemeni government in July. [1] Yemen's Houthis have launched their first large-scale offensive since 2022 following a breakdown in a ceasefire with the government earlier in July. [1] The offensive, launched on Thursday, saw Houthi forces fire heavy artillery, ballistic missiles, and carry out drone strikes in an attempt to gain ground along the Red Sea in Taiz province. [1] Much of the fighting is being waged in Taiz province. [1] The city of Mokha is reported to be a key objective for the Houthi offensive, a key port controlled by the government on the Red Sea, with the Houthis assaulting positions on the Taiz-Mokha road to reach the city. [1] Fighting has also been raging in the hills around the city of Taiz. [1]
Casualties and Civilian Impact
Around 129 people have been killed, according to an AFP tally, including 66 government soldiers, 62 Houthi militants, and one civilian. [1] A renewed assault by Yemen's Houthi rebels has seen at least 81 people killed in clashes with Saudi-backed government forces, military and medical sources said on Friday. [4] Though Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that dozens of civilians had been killed and wounded in a Houthi ballistic missile strike on a restaurant in the city of Mokha. [1] The rebels are now trying to cement their hold over one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which they have disrupted with attacks on passing vessels since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. [4]
Yemeni government forces retake strategic position from Houthis west of Taiz. — Source: anadolu
Government Counterattacks and Reinforcements
Government forces advance in Jabal Habashi amid clashes on Maqbanah, Al-Kadha fronts, while reinforcements arrive in western Taiz, state TV says. [2] Yemeni army retake strategic position from Houthis as fighting intensifies west of Taiz. [2] Government forces launching counterattacks to retake several key areas in the neighbouring Jabal Habashi district that had fallen after Houthi assaults. [1] Government attacks were also launched in the al-Ma'afer district and the Maqbanah district. [1] In response to the Houthi offensive, the government has sent reinforcements to the region, including the pro-Government National Shield Forces and Giant's Brigades. [1] Clashes come as Houthis advance toward Mount Dabbas, say National Resistance Forces. [5]
Key Losses and Command Impact
Houthi commander killed in clashes with Yemeni army. [3] Mohammed Harith Ali Mutlaq al-Alawi was killed in western Yemen, according to state media. [3]
Houthi commander killed in clashes with Yemeni army in Taiz province. — Source: anadolu
Strategic Analysis and Objectives
Mohammad al-Basha of the US-based risk advisory Basha Report told AFP that the Houthis wanted to extend their control over the Bab al-Mandab. [1] "The Houthis feel that if they capture Bab al-Mandab or Mokha port, they will be in a better position to negotiate with the government and the Saudis." [1] This was echoed by Ibrahim Jalal, Lead Researcher at the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends, who said on X that "a sustained advance here would fracture the [government's] Taiz-Coast defensive network, isolate Al-Mokha and Al-Khokha from reinforcement and resupply, and create a landward approach form which the Houthis could place the southern Res Sea coast and ultimately the Bab al-Mandab axis under greater military pressure, including red sea shipping". [1] "Clearly, the immediate Yemeni Armed Forces priority is to restore the pre-attack line, secure the Taiz–coast corridor and deny the Houthis any durable foothold from which to sustain pressure toward Al-Mokha and the southern Red Sea," he added. [1] The situation continues to unfold on the ww3 map as analysts assess these shifts.
Broader Conflict Context
Yemen's civil war unravelled earlier in July after Saudi airstrikes targeted Sanaa airport in a bid to stop a flight from Iran carrying Houthi delegates and suspected Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members from landing in the Houthi-controlled territory. [1] The Houthis responded by announcing a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and have attacked shipping in the Red Sea. [1] Yemen has been in a state of civil war since 2014, when a Houthi offensive ousted the Yemeni government from the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led intervention in 2015. [1] The country remains one of the worst humanitarian crisis points in the world, relying heavily on outside humanitarian aid. [1] US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday declined to provide a timeline for when the conflict with Iran would be over, pushing back against calling the hostilities a "war". [4]
What to watch next: Government forces are expected to focus on restoring the pre-attack line and securing the Taiz-coast corridor while the Houthis seek to maintain pressure toward Al-Mokha and the southern Red Sea.
