Houthis and government trade attacks as Yemen slides back to full-scale war

Government forces have carried out dozens of attacks on Houthi positions across Yemen in the past 24 hours, the latest sign that a return to full-scale war in Yemen may be approaching.

In the past day, government forces have carried out 81 attacks on Houthi positions that led to the “neutralisation” of a number of Houthi fighters and field commanders, government spokesperson Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said Thursday.

Also on Thursday, the Houthis carried out two drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia’s Najran province – which sits just across the border from Yemen – the group’s military ⁠spokesperson Yahya ⁠Saree announced. They “successfully” hit a target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility in the province, Saree said.

There was no immediate confirmation of the attacks ‌from Saudi Arabia.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which supports the Houthis, warned on Thursday that Saudi Arabia would be “unable to contain” the Houthis as the rebels ramp up attacks on the kingdom. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi infrastructure and shipping since declaring a naval blockade on the country in July.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government, now based in Aden, has also accused the Houthis of attempting to impose a blockade on Yemen and halting the country’s oil exports.

Over the past month, fighting has intensified in Yemen, with the government reporting carrying out hundreds of operations against the Houthis, killing many of their fighters.

Exchanges of fire and drone attacks have been reported across nearly the entire frozen front line, but no large-scale offensive operations have yet been reported by either side.

Both sides have reported carrying out missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure deep behind front lines, including ports and airports.

In 2014, the Houthis overran much of the country, including Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, leading to years of conflict between the Houthis and the government, backed by a Saudi-led international coalition.

In 2022, the government and the Houthis agreed to a United Nations-brokered truce that largely brought fighting to a halt in Yemen, but Thursday’s attacks hint that a return to large-scale conflict is rapidly approaching.

At least 18 million people in Yemen do not have reliable access to enough food, according to the UN.

On Monday, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk urged both sides to “spare the Yemeni people from further misery” and “halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict”.

Also on Thursday, the United Kingdom’s maritime security monitor reported that a tanker has been ⁠boarded off the coast of Yemen by six armed people, who diverted it towards Somalia.