The conflict between Yemen’s Houthis and government forces expanded again after the ceasefire reached in 2022. Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, ships in the Red Sea and government forces carried the tensions beyond Yemen’s borders and to multiple fronts.
A new front after the ceasefire
The Houthis seized control of the capital Sana’a and many other parts of Yemen in 2014. Years of fighting with government forces deepened hunger and poverty in the country, where infrastructure was already severely lacking.
A ceasefire was reached in April 2022 following negotiations conducted by the United Nations with countries in the region. The agreement significantly reduced large-scale fighting along the front lines.
Tensions escalated again on July 13, when an Iranian aircraft attempted to land at Sana’a International Airport, which is controlled by the Houthis. The Yemeni government said the airport’s runway had been targeted to prevent the aircraft from landing.
Naval blockade in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb
The Houthis held Riyadh responsible for the attack on Sana’a Airport. They subsequently targeted Abha Airport in southern Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Starting on July 20, the Houthis declared a “naval blockade” against Saudi-linked ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. They subsequently carried out attacks on Saudi-owned vessels.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that nine Saudi-owned ships had been targeted to date in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis also claimed that attacks on oil facilities and ports in Saudi Arabia were continuing.
Several foreign commercial vessels using the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb route were also affected by the attacks. The Saudi-led Arab Coalition announced that it had struck several Houthi targets in Yemen’s western Hudaydah province; the coalition said Hudaydah Port had not been targeted.
Attacks on areas controlled by government forces
On August 6, the Houthis attacked military sites belonging to government forces in the northwestern province of Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout with ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The group expanded its attacks on areas controlled by government forces, claiming that Saudi Arabia was preparing to attack it and had been building up its military presence for that purpose.
Marib, known for its oil fields, became one of the main areas sheltering around 2 million civilians displaced by the conflict that began in 2014. The region had previously been targeted by large-scale Houthi attacks; the Houthis were said to have withdrawn after suffering heavy losses during those attacks.
Port and commercial ship targets
On August 9, the Houthis struck Al-Mocha Port and the district center in Taiz province with ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The group claimed that the attack was carried out in response to Saudi forces’ military activities along Yemen’s western coast and in Taiz.
On August 11, Yemen’s commercial ship named “Tihama” was attacked with several missiles. Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard teams attempting to rescue the ship’s crew and tow the vessel were also targeted by unmanned aerial vehicles.
Fighting in Marib, Taiz, Al-Dhale and Shabwah
Fighting continued in the southern provinces of Al-Dhale and Shabwah, as well as in Marib and Taiz. Government forces responded to the attacks and sought to repel assaults carried out on the ground.
Yemeni experts assessed that the Houthis could further expand the battlefield by intensifying their attacks on areas controlled by government forces. The experts linked the escalation to an aim of spreading the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran across the region.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have controlled parts of Yemen, particularly Sana’a, since September 2014. The Saudi-led coalition has supported the Yemeni government since March 2015.
Maria Nica / Editor
