Yemen is experiencing its most serious military escalation in years, with Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting government-held areas and government forces responding with artillery and strikes on Houthi positions across several fronts.
The Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones early Tuesday against residential areas in Marib, according to Yemen’s government military media centre. Further attacks targeted the western port city of Mocha and its harbour in Taiz province, where air defences reportedly intercepted several drones.
The renewed attacks followed a major Houthi assault on Mocha over the weekend. Yemeni military sources said the attack killed at least seven people, including civilians and soldiers, and wounded about 30 others. Local reports have cited differing preliminary casualty figures, while damage was reported at the port and other civilian and economic facilities. Residents were urged to remain indoors and stay away from windows and exposed areas.
The government has responded with artillery fire and strikes against Houthi military positions, missile-launch platforms and command facilities in Marib. Government forces reportedly targeted sites around Jabal Hilan, west of Marib, and in al-Jubah to the south. Fighting and shelling have also been reported in southeastern Taiz, where Houthi fire struck civilian areas and damaged private property in the al-Shuqab district. Al-Ayyam.
The escalation has also reached Shabwa, where Shabwa Defence forces announced an operation against Houthi positions. The developments indicate that the fighting is no longer confined to a single front, but is spreading across strategically important areas linking Marib, Taiz, Shabwa and the Red Sea coast.
UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg warned that the latest escalation could push Yemen back into a broad conflict. He said the attacks had placed civilians and infrastructure at serious risk and described the current military activity as the most significant escalation since the UN-mediated truce of 2022. Grundberg called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and return to a comprehensive political process.
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba held discussions with UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo, arguing that the Houthi attacks now threaten regional stability, Red Sea shipping and the Bab al-Mandab strait. The UN reiterated its opposition to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The immediate picture is one of rapid reciprocal escalation, raising fears that Yemen’s fragile post-2022 calm may be collapsing.