Conflict & Security
Yemen clashes kill 129 near Bab al-Mandab, sources say
Clashes between Yemen's Houthis and government forces near the Bab al-Mandab strait have killed 129 people, according to an AFP tally based on military and medical sources, as the Houthis push toward the Red Sea gateway.
Fighting erupted Thursday after the Houthis launched a ground assault with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas. Military sources told AFP the offensive aims to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha and advance toward areas bordering Bab al-Mandab, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
A Yemeni military official, speaking anonymously, said 66 government fighters had been killed. Medical and military sources close to the Houthis said at least 62 Houthi militants had died, and another medical source said one civilian was killed. The tally rose from an earlier count of 81, and sources told AFP the clashes were Yemen's deadliest in years.
A military source and a Taiz official said the Houthis had seized elevated sites overlooking government positions near the Red Sea and Taiz, and said those positions could be used to target ships. The Houthis hold Hodeida north of Mokha but do not control areas bordering Bab al-Mandab.
A Yemeni official in Aden said government reinforcements had been sent from Aden to Taiz on Saudi orders. Mohammed al-Basha of Basha Report said the Houthis wanted stronger negotiating leverage with the government and Saudi Arabia if they captured Bab al-Mandab or Mokha port.
Yemen's fragile 2022 truce collapsed in July after the Houthis welcomed an Iranian plane to Sanaa, setting off new attacks. The Houthis later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began striking Saudi ships and territory. AFP reported that Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has increased the importance of Bab al-Mandab for oil transit.
Update
The Houthi offensive included a ground assault as well as rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas.
A military source and a Taiz official told AFP the Houthis could use seized elevated positions to target ships.
Mohammed al-Basha of Basha Report said the Houthis would gain leverage if they captured Bab al-Mandab or Mokha port.
The item adds context on the Houthis' maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and the increased importance of Bab al-Mandab after Iran's closure of Hormuz.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 14:09:22 UTC.
Update
The reported death toll rose to 129 from an earlier count of 81.
A Yemeni military official told AFP 66 government fighters had been killed.
Medical and military sources close to the Houthis said at least 62 Houthi militants had died.
Another medical source said one civilian had been killed.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 12:32:21 UTC.
Update
Military and medical sources told AFP the death toll from the clashes has risen to more than 120.
Sources told AFP the fighting was the deadliest between Houthi and Yemen government forces in years.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 12:07:40 UTC.
Update
Military and local officials said Houthi forces seized elevated sites overlooking government positions near the Red Sea, Khokha and Taiz.
Officials said the elevated positions could allow the Houthis to target ships.
A Yemeni official in Aden said the government sent reinforcements from Aden to Taiz on Saudi orders.
The current account says fighting erupted after a Houthi ground assault with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 08:43:19 UTC.
Update
Two military officials and medical sources in rebel-held territory said 81 combatants had been killed since Thursday.
A military official on the Red Sea coast reported 24 of his men killed.
Another military official in the inland Taiz area said 15 had been killed there.
Medical sources in Houthi-held areas said at least 42 Houthi militants had been killed.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 06:28:12 UTC.
Update
Sources now say more than 80 people have been killed in Yemen clashes since Thursday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 06:09:56 UTC.
Update
A military source close to the Houthis said at least 11 Houthi fighters were killed.
Sources from both sides said the clashes were deadly, while neither Yemen's government nor the Houthis had issued official death tolls.
A Yemeni military source accused the Houthis of launching a broad offensive along western Red Sea coast front lines to advance toward Bab al-Mandab and government-held areas.
A second government military source said the Houthis were trying to close in on Mokha by severing the route linking it to Taiz.
A Mokha field officer said government forces thwarted an attack by two booby-trapped boats near the port.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 September 2026 at 16:39:17 UTC.
Update
A military source said the Houthis launched a broad offensive along western Red Sea coast frontlines to advance toward Bab al-Mandab and government-held areas.
Another military source said most of those killed were on frontlines between Mokha and Taiz, with others killed near the Red Sea coast.
The official Saba news agency reported fighting west of Taiz and Houthi missile and drone fire.
A field officer in Mokha said government forces thwarted an attack involving two booby-trapped boats that exploded near the port.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 September 2026 at 12:35:14 UTC.
Update
A military source accused the Houthis of launching an assault to take areas bordering the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The military source said the initial toll included two officers among the 13 dead.
Another source said most of those killed were on frontlines between Mokha and Taiz, with others killed near the Red Sea coast.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 September 2026 at 11:42:08 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The death toll is based on AFP's tally from several sources and may change.
Several officials and sources spoke anonymously.
The extent and durability of Houthi control over the seized elevated sites is not fully detailed.
Source
AFP news report published on .