Houthis fire missiles, drones in assault on Taiz‑Al‑Makha road, 31 dead

The Houthi movement launched a coordinated offensive in western Yemen on Tuesday, targeting the main supply route that links the city of Taiz to the Al‑Makha district on the Red Sea coast. In a series of attacks, the rebels fired fourteen ballistic missiles and dispatched several unmanned aerial vehicles into the governorates of Taiz and Hodeidah, while ground forces clashed with elements of the Yemeni Armed Forces along the Taiz‑Al‑Makha highway. The fighting left at least 18 Houthi combatants and 13 government troops dead, according to statements from the Yemen Ministry of Defense.

The offensive marks a renewed push by the Iran‑backed insurgents to control a critical artery that supplies the western half of the country. The road is not only a lifeline for civilians fleeing conflict‑scarred areas but also a conduit for the movement of humanitarian aid and commercial goods. By attempting to sever it, the Houthis aim to pressure the internationally recognised government, which has struggled to maintain a foothold in the region since the outbreak of the civil war in 2014. The use of ballistic missiles and drones, weapons systems that have become a hallmark of the Houthi arsenal since they received Iranian technical support, underscores the group’s growing capability to conduct high‑intensity operations far from their traditional strongholds in the north.

The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, emerged in the 1990s as a Zaydi revivalist movement opposed to the rule of then‑President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they accused of corruption and of aligning with Saudi Arabia and the United States. The group’s founder, Hussein al‑Houthi, was killed by Yemeni security forces in 2004, a death that propelled the movement into a broader insurgency. Over the ensuing decade, the Houthis expanded their political and military reach, eventually seizing the capital, Sana’a, in 2014 and prompting a Saudi‑led coalition to intervene in support of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government. International observers have repeatedly condemned the Houthis for human‑rights violations, including indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and alleged recruitment of child soldiers, leading several nations to label the organization a terrorist group.

The Yemeni government, backed by a coalition of Gulf Arab states and receiving logistical and intelligence assistance from the United States and United Kingdom, has been locked in a protracted stalemate with the Houthis. While the coalition’s air campaign has limited the rebels’ territorial gains in some areas, the front lines have remained fluid, especially in the west where control of ports such as Hodeidah is contested. The government’s forces, already stretched thin by years of attrition, face the dual challenge of defending key supply routes and managing an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation, with millions of Yemenis dependent on aid that must pass through the very roads now under threat.

The latest assault also highlights the broader regional dynamics that have turned Yemen into a proxy battleground. Tehran’s support for the Houthis—ranging from weapons transfers to training—forms part of its strategy to extend influence across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, waterways that are vital for global energy shipments. Conversely, the Saudi‑UAE‑led coalition seeks to curtail Iranian footholds near its southern border. The involvement of external powers has complicated peace efforts, as each side leverages the Yemeni conflict to advance its own strategic interests, often at the expense of civilian welfare.

The significance of the offensive extends beyond the immediate tactical objectives. Disruption of the Taiz‑Al‑Makha corridor threatens to exacerbate the already severe humanitarian crisis, potentially cutting off aid routes that deliver food, medicine and fuel to millions of Yemenis. Moreover, any sustained instability in western Yemen could ripple through the Red Sea shipping lanes, where even brief interruptions can affect global trade and oil prices. For regional security, the escalation underscores the risk that the conflict could further entangle external actors, heightening the potential for a broader confrontation that would destabilise the Gulf and the Horn of Africa. The international community’s response to these developments will be pivotal in determining whether Yemen’s war continues to spill over into the wider strategic landscape.