Yemen Government Escalates Air Campaign Against Houthis

Yemen's internationally recognised government has significantly stepped up its military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi movement, launching a series of airstrikes as some of the country's fiercest fighting since the 2022 truce erupted along the Red Sea coast.

Yemeni military officials said government aircraft carried out at least 15 strikes on Friday against Houthi positions, groups of fighters and vehicles in the western provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah.

The airstrikes were launched as government forces attempted to repel a major Houthi offensive pushing towards the Red Sea coast and the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's most important maritime trade routes.

The latest attacks represent a notable expansion of the government's use of its own air force after years in which Saudi-led coalition aircraft provided most of the aerial support for forces fighting the Houthis.

Government aircraft had already resumed limited operations as the fragile ceasefire began to deteriorate.

On July 25, Yemeni military officials said government warplanes struck Houthi missile and drone launch facilities and weapons storage sites in Marib and al-Jawf.

Earlier, on July 13, the government said its forces had targeted the runway at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport in an effort to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing.

The latest campaign, however, marks a significant increase in the frequency and scale of government air operations.

Houthi Offensive Drives New Fighting

The escalation follows a major Houthi offensive that began on Thursday along front lines in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah.

Houthi forces reportedly used ballistic missiles, drones and artillery while ground units attempted to advance towards territory controlled by the internationally recognised government.

Some of the heaviest fighting has taken place west of Taiz and around al-Makha, a government-held port close to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

A Yemeni official in Aden said the Houthis were attempting to seize elevated positions overlooking both al-Makha and Bab al-Mandeb, potentially giving them greater control over the surrounding area.

Government military officials said the Houthis had captured some strategic territory, including a military base located on a mountain in western Taiz that provides commanding views over the region.

Heavy clashes have also been reported around al-Barah and Maqbanah, where a major road is used to supply government forces stationed in Taiz and al-Makha.

More than 120 fighters have reportedly been killed since the latest offensive began, making the clashes among the deadliest Yemen has experienced in several years.

Civilians have also been caught up in the fighting.

Government-run Saba TV reported that a ballistic missile struck a restaurant in the al-Makha area, killing and injuring civilians.

On Saturday, at least four civilians were reportedly killed and nine wounded when a Houthi missile struck a crowded road in southwestern Yemen.

The attack targeted civilians gathered along the strategically important Heijah al-Abd Road south of Taiz, according to Saba, which cited local and medical sources.

Why Has Yemen's Conflict Escalated?

The Houthis captured Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 before expanding their control across large parts of northern and western Yemen.

The seizure of Sanaa prompted a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries to intervene militarily in March 2015 in support of Yemen's internationally recognised government.

Years of intense fighting followed, producing widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis.

A UN-brokered truce reached in April 2022 dramatically reduced the level of violence. Although the agreement formally expired six months later, the major front lines largely remained quiet.

Saudi Arabia subsequently pursued negotiations with the Houthis in an effort to secure a broader political settlement.

Those efforts failed to produce a comprehensive peace agreement, leaving Yemen in an unstable situation in which the conflict was largely frozen rather than resolved.

That fragile balance has increasingly come under pressure amid the wider regional conflict.

The Houthis have expanded their military activities around the Red Sea, while disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israel war with Iran have increased the strategic importance of alternative maritime routes.

The Houthis have also declared a Red Sea maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.

Any further Houthi expansion towards al-Makha and Bab al-Mandeb could therefore have implications extending well beyond Yemen, particularly for international shipping and energy supplies.

What Happened to Yemen's Air Force?

Yemen's modern air force was established following the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990.

Its inventory historically included Soviet-built MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters, Su-22 fighter-bombers, US-made F-5 aircraft, helicopters and transport planes.

The country's military, however, fractured during the political crisis that followed the Houthi seizure of Sanaa and the outbreak of full-scale war in 2014 and 2015.

When Saudi Arabia intervened, coalition forces targeted Yemeni airbases, air-defence systems and military aircraft in an effort to prevent the Houthis from using the country's air power.

As a result, the Yemeni government's air force was left severely weakened, while Saudi-led coalition aircraft became the principal source of aerial support for anti-Houthi forces.

Between March 2015 and the 2022 truce, coalition aircraft conducted tens of thousands of air raids across Yemen.

The strikes targeted Houthi military facilities and supported major ground operations by government forces, but the campaign also resulted in extensive civilian casualties and international criticism.

Human Rights Watch documented dozens of attacks between 2014 and 2022 that it said appeared to have unlawfully targeted or struck civilian locations, including homes, markets, hospitals, schools and detention facilities.

Regional Powers Remain Involved

The international military campaign against the Houthis did not end with the 2022 truce.

In 2024, the United States and United Kingdom launched a new series of airstrikes against Houthi targets after the group began attacking Israel-linked commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Earlier this year, the US Pentagon disclosed that American military operations against the Houthis had killed 153 civilians and wounded another 243 during 2025. The figures represented a significant shift from previous US statements denying that its attacks had caused civilian deaths.

The latest escalation by Yemen's government comes as the Houthis continue to retain significant military capabilities despite years of conflict and international intervention.

For the government, the ability to conduct a sustained air campaign could provide important support to ground forces attempting to halt the Houthi advance towards the Red Sea.

But the renewed fighting also threatens to further destabilise a conflict that has already produced one of the world's most severe humanitarian emergencies.

The United Nations estimated in 2021 that about 377,000 people had died as a result of Yemen's war since 2014, with around 60 percent of those deaths attributed to indirect causes including food shortages and limited access to healthcare.

With fighting now intensifying around Taiz, Hodeidah and the approaches to Bab al-Mandeb, concerns are growing that Yemen's long-frozen conflict could once again develop into a much wider war.