Houthis launch offensive toward Marib and Taiz, intensifying Yemen conflict

Heavy fighting erupted on Tuesday as Yemen’s Houthi forces pushed toward the cities of Marib and Taiz, both under the control of the internationally recognised government’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). Satellite imagery and reports from on‑the‑ground observers showed Houthi armored columns advancing from the north‑west, while artillery and rocket fire intensified around the outskirts of the two urban centres. The clashes, which have already resulted in dozens of casualties among combatants and civilians, mark the latest escalation in a war that has seen the Houthis expand their reach beyond their traditional strongholds in the north‑west of the country.

The PLC, created in early April 2022, serves as the executive authority of Yemen’s recognized government after the death of former President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Chaired by Rashad al‑Alimi, the council was initially composed of eight members, including representatives from the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group that commands significant territory in the south. The decree that established the PLC transferred all presidential powers to the body, while granting the chairman sweeping authority to direct the military, appoint governors and other senior officials. By mid‑2023, three of the eight council seats were occupied by STC members, reflecting the uneasy power‑sharing arrangement that underpins the government’s fragile unity.

Tensions between the PLC and the STC have periodically erupted into open confrontation, particularly over the control of strategic cities such as Aden and Abyan. The STC, backed by the United Arab Emirates, seeks greater autonomy for southern Yemen and has at times operated semi‑independently of the PLC’s directives. In December 2025, Saudi Arabian troops that had been stationed to protect the PLC’s headquarters in Aden withdrew following an STC‑led takeover of the city. Although the STC asserted that the institutional composition of the council remained unchanged, the episode highlighted the fragility of the coalition that backs the PLC and the divergent interests of its regional patrons.

The Houthis, who have ruled the capital Sanaa since 2014 and have been fighting the PLC‑backed coalition since 2015, have steadily broadened their operational footprint. Their recent thrust toward Marib and Taiz is driven by a combination of strategic and political motives: securing oil‑rich territories, disrupting supply routes that sustain the PLC’s war effort, and projecting power ahead of upcoming national dialogues. The group’s advances come after a series of successful offensives that captured key positions in the western highlands, and they have been bolstered by a steady flow of weapons and logistical support from Iran. The PLC, meanwhile, relies on a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which has been strained by competing priorities among its members and by the STC’s occasional defiance.

The escalation matters beyond Yemen’s borders because the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, vital arteries for global oil shipments and container traffic, lie just to the south of the conflict zone. Any prolonged instability in Marib, a hub for oil production, or in Taiz, a gateway to the main north‑south highway, could disrupt energy supplies and increase shipping insurance premiums, reverberating through international markets. For Taiwan, which depends heavily on secure maritime routes for its semiconductor export supply chain, heightened insecurity in the Red Sea corridor underscores the broader risks that regional conflicts pose to global trade logistics. Moreover, the involvement of external powers—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran—adds a geopolitical dimension that could draw in additional actors, making the Yemeni battlefield a flashpoint with potential spill‑over effects on energy security and international shipping lanes.