Why Is Yemen’s War Escalating Again? The Houthi Offensive, Taiz And The Threat To Aden

At least 30 people were killed and eight wounded in an attack on al-Hadara market in Yemen's al-Waziyah district of Taiz governorate on Friday, November 6, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for three airstrikes on the market, while authorities affiliated with Yemen's internationally recognised government denied that airstrikes had taken place in the area and accused the group of firing a ballistic missile. The Associated Press could not independently verify either account.

The attack comes amid renewed fighting between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi fighters, who have made territorial gains along the Red Sea coast and threatened supply routes to the southern port city of Aden. Although government forces have reclaimed positions in Taiz and Lahij, the Houthis continue to resist on several fronts. The escalation has also deepened a humanitarian crisis in a country where millions already face hunger, displacement and restricted access to healthcare.

How did the renewed fighting begin, and what has each side gained?

The latest escalation has shattered a period of relative calm that followed the 2022 UN-brokered truce. Although the truce formally expired in October 2022, it had largely halted major military operations. It did not, however, resolve Yemen's political divisions or produce a lasting peace settlement.

In September 2026, Houthi forces made territorial gains along the Red Sea coast, including the strategic port city of Mocha (Mokha) and positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. On October 5, Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council representing Yemen's internationally recognised government, launched Operation Dawn of Yemen to reclaim Houthi-held territory and weaken the group's military capabilities. The campaign received air support from the Saudi-led coalition, alongside ground operations by government forces and allied units, according to Al Jazeera.

Reuters had reported in October that government forces had advanced towards Mocha, with the Defence Ministry claiming that the city had fallen. The extent of the recapture could not be independently verified.

Government forces subsequently claimed advances around Dhubab, Bab el-Mandeb, Haifan and western Taiz. On November 6, the Yemeni army reported recapturing al-Nidani village, Shaab al-Sarari and positions around Sanamat and Ribat al-Qarn in Taiz governorate. It also reported gains along the Tur al-Bahah front in Lahij. These remain military claims that have not all been independently verified.

However, the counteroffensive has not stopped Houthi advances elsewhere. Reuters reported on November 2 that Houthi forces had captured Al-Maqatirah district in Lahij, bringing them within 80 kilometres of Aden. It was their closest advance towards the city since 2015, when they briefly entered it during the early months of the war. The advance threatened the main road connecting Aden with Taiz and forced government troops to retreat towards Tur al-Bahah, according to military sources cited by Reuters.

The competing advances illustrate the difficulty of securing a decisive military advantage. Thomas Bonnie James, an assistant professor at the University of Aberdeen, told Al Jazeera: “The government's forces look big on paper, but they are spread across too many fronts and use old equipment.”

Why are Taiz, Lahij and Bab el-Mandeb important?

Taiz is central to the conflict because of its geographical position and political significance. Yemen's third-largest city has remained a stronghold of opposition to Houthi rule. While the internationally recognised government controls Taiz city, the Houthis control much of the surrounding governorate and have besieged the provincial capital since 2015, restricting access to essential supplies and movement.

Taiz connects northern Yemen with the southern regions, including Aden, making its supply routes important to the government's positions in the southern highlands. A Houthi capture of the city would be a major military and political setback for the government and bring the group closer to Aden. Neighbouring Lahij is strategically important because it lies along the approaches to Aden. The Houthi advance in Al-Maqatirah has threatened these routes, while government forces are attempting to secure their southern positions.

The western coastline also has wider strategic importance. Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, making it a critical passage for international shipping travelling between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal. Control of the surrounding coastline gives the warring parties leverage over maritime traffic and regional security.

The conflict is also tied to the wider regional confrontation involving Iran, Israel and the United States. Saudi Arabia backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, while the Houthis are aligned with Iran. Reuters reported that Houthi attacks on Saudi targets had prompted increased Saudi-led coalition strikes against positions held by the group, drawing Riyadh deeper into the renewed fighting.

James told Al Jazeera that the government's offensive was intended to increase pressure on the Houthis rather than secure an immediate military victory over the group.

How is the war worsening Yemen's humanitarian crisis, and what happens next?

The renewed fighting has intensified an already severe humanitarian emergency. According to the UN Population Fund's October situation report, more than 300,000 people had been displaced across Yemen since August 2026, with most of the recent displacement taking place in Taiz governorate. More than half of those displaced were women and children.

The situation in Taiz city has become particularly concerning as fighting and road closures restrict the movement of food, medicine and other essential supplies. The World Food Programme (WFP) said on October 14 that 800,000 people across Yemen had been cut off from life-saving assistance, including more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on humanitarian aid. It warned that wheat flour stocks were nearly exhausted and that remaining market supplies could run out if access restrictions continued.

Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan told the Associated Press: “The city is in famine, not on the brink of it.” He said water supplies had dwindled, cooking gas was being blocked and hospitals were running short of oxygen. In an account published by AP on October 29, Shamsan reported 271 deaths and 1,129 injuries since the latest offensive began.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi rejected claims that the city was under siege, saying routes remained open for food and humanitarian supplies.

Human Rights Watch reported that explosives severely damaged the Hayjat al-Abd road on October 18, in an attack it attributed to Houthi forces, although it said it could not conclusively establish responsibility. The organisation warned that the attack could constitute a war crime if it was intended to disable infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival. It also said roads into and out of Taiz had largely been blocked by both Houthi and government-affiliated forces amid the fighting.

The International Committee of the Red Cross delivered four trucks of medical supplies, including surgical kits, to hospitals in Taiz city on November 4. Its head of delegation in Yemen, Christine Cipolla, said: “Timely access to medical care can be a matter of life or death.”

Neither side has demonstrated the ability to secure a decisive victory. Government forces must hold the territory they have reclaimed while defending supply routes towards Aden, while the Houthis retain the capacity to advance on multiple fronts. Retaking Sanaa, under Houthi control since 2014, remains a much larger military challenge. The immediate test for the government will be whether it can sustain its gains without allowing the fighting to further isolate Taiz and other conflict-affected areas. For civilians, the priority is more urgent: restoring access to food, medicine and healthcare before further displacement and shortages deepen Yemen's humanitarian crisis.