Sanaa (TDI): Yemen has witnessed its most intense military escalation in nearly three weeks, with government forces and the Houthi movement engaging in heavy clashes across parts of the southwestern provinces of Taiz and Lahej as the number of people displaced by the renewed fighting approaches 200,000.
The latest escalation is reported to be the most serious since September 10, when the Houthis captured the strategically important coastal city of Mokha, according to monitoring by Anadolu.
Fighting has been concentrated across several fronts in Taiz and Lahej, with Yemeni government forces reporting attempts by the Houthis to advance in multiple areas.
The army said on Thursday that it had repelled a major Houthi offensive along several fronts in the Tor Al-Baha axis, which covers areas of Taiz and Lahej. Government forces also reported carrying out six airstrikes against Houthi positions and military vehicles.
According to a statement from the army’s Tor Al-Baha military axis, the strikes targeted positions around the Al-Akboush, Al-Ahkoum and Hayfan fronts south of Taiz.
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The military said its forces had thwarted what it described as a large-scale Houthi attack and disrupted the attacking formations. The statement did not provide casualty figures or independent details on the outcome of the fighting.
Separately, the Taiz military axis reported heavy clashes in several parts of the province, including Bani Bakari in Jabal Habashi district, the Himyar front in Maqbanah and the Al-Aqroud front in southeastern Taiz.
The army said the fighting resulted in casualties and equipment losses among Houthi forces but did not disclose specific figures.
The latest fighting comes as Yemen’s conflict enters another period of heightened military activity following months of relative calm in several areas.
The renewed clashes are also aggravating Yemen’s already severe displacement crisis. Yemen’s Executive Unit for Internally Displaced Persons Camps Management said the number of people displaced since the escalation intensified in July had reached 197,906, equivalent to 29,519 families.
The government agency attributed the displacement to continued military escalation, direct shelling and deteriorating security conditions, warning that the developments were creating serious risks for civilians.
Taiz has received the largest number of displaced people, with 13,925 families, or 97,529 individuals, registered across 15 districts.
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Lahej is the second-largest host province, with 7,179 displaced families comprising 50,253 people spread across nine districts. Most of those displaced to Lahej reportedly arrived from conflict-affected areas of Taiz and Al-Hudaydah.
Aden, Yemen’s temporary capital, has received another 3,741 families, totaling 17,782 people, while Abyan has registered 2,097 families comprising 14,679 displaced individuals.
In Al-Hudaydah, 1,471 families, or 10,297 people, have been registered in the districts of Hays and Al-Khokha. Authorities also reported indications of further displacement from those areas toward Aden.
