Heavy fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters in Yemen’s Taiz province left at least 25 people dead on Thursday. The clashes began at dawn when Houthi forces launched a coordinated assault using artillery, mortars, drones, and ground troops against government positions in the villages of Maqbanah and Al-Kadha. Military sources reported that about 15 government soldiers and 10 Houthi fighters were killed in the combat.
During the offensive, Houthi forces fired over a dozen ballistic missiles and additional drones toward populated areas in Taiz and neighbouring Hodeidah province. Houthi units also briefly seized several government positions in the mountainous terrain west of Taiz city until reinforcements arrived to launch a counterattack that recaptured some of the lost ground. Analysts noted that the offensive appeared aimed at cutting the road linking Taiz city to the port town of al-Makha, also known as Mocha.
The fighting trapped civilians in the affected villages, leaving several families unable to reach safety until the clashes subsided. Observers are concerned that the combat could shift the static conflict back toward full-scale confrontation, while humanitarian organizations have warned that renewed large-scale fighting risks worsening the severe hunger and displacement crisis in Yemen.