How significant is the Yemeni government’s military gains against Houthis?

Government forces make gains as fighting escalates, raising fears of a return to full-scale war.

Fighters loyal to Yemen's internationally-recognised government ride in a pick-up truck in the Hais district, south of Hodeidah, Yemen on September 5, 2026 [AFP]

Yemen’s internationally recognised government says its forces have made significant gains against the Houthis as fighting has escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of a return to full-scale war.

The government forces on Saturday said they had recaptured strategically located territory in Hodeidah province under Houthi control and advanced in western Taiz.

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However, the latest gains do not yet amount to a decisive shift in Yemen’s long-running war.

The Iran-aligned Houthis still control the capital, Sanaa, and several other cities, and have themselves recently advanced around Taiz as they seek to threaten the government-held port of al-Makha (Mocha) and move towards areas bordering the strategically vital Bab al-Mandeb strait, the chokepoint that connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea.

The fighting comes amid a wider regional conflict involving Saudi Arabia, which is a key backer of the Yemeni government.

Riyadh has carried out air strikes against positions recently captured by the Houthis, as the battle increasingly focuses on territory leading towards one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

Here is what you need to know:

What is the latest fighting on the ground?

The government forces have been fighting the Houthis across several fronts, with some of the heaviest clashes in Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, and along the western Red Sea coast.

The SABA news agency, controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognised government, reported on Saturday that the Yemeni military had taken control of Hais district in Hodeidah, citing an unidentified military source.

Hais is strategically located at the junction of Hodeidah, Taiz and Ibb provinces. The Houthis have yet to comment on this latest development.

The source also said government forces have regained areas around the al-Barh junction in western Taiz and advanced towards Houthi positions. Taiz is divided between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

Fayad al-Numan, a Yemeni Information Ministry official, said government forces had also captured dozens of Houthi fighters during clashes in al-Jarahi district in southern Hodeidah.

Clashes in Taiz killed more than 60 people, including civilians, on Saturday, the AFP news agency reported.

On Thursday, fighting erupted as Houthi forces launched a major offensive along front lines in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, using ballistic missiles, drones and artillery as ground forces attempted to advance towards government-held territory along the Red Sea coast.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that about 1,800 families have been displaced over the past two days as fighting escalated in Taiz.

Fighting renewed in early August after months of calm when Yemeni government forces launched attacks on Houthi positions across multiple front lines.

The Yemeni government re-established control over major southern and eastern territories following a Saudi-backed counteroffensive and the subsequent dissolution of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in January.

They now aim to unite Yemen after bringing the areas under Houthi control under one administration.

But the Houthis have pushed towards government-held areas near al-Makha and territory bordering the Bab al-Mandeb strait amid reinforcements and counteroffensives from the government forces.

The latest escalation follows a period of relative calm in Yemen that had largely held since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022. The ceasefire brought an end to major fighting since the Houthis’ capture of much of the country, including Sanaa, in 2014.

But Thursday’s attacks hint at a return to large-scale conflict.

Are Yemen’s forces regaining control?

The capture of Hais could be significant because of its position linking Hodeidah, Taiz and Ibb, while advances around al-Barh could help government forces push back against Houthi forces in western Taiz.

Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi said Yemen’s armed forces were capable of restoring control over the entire country and warned that Houthi “miscalculations” would lead to their “complete collapse”.

However, it is too early to describe the developments as a significant shift in control.

Soldiers loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government stand near pick-up trucks in the Hais district, south of Hodeidah on September 5, 2026 [AFP]

The Houthis had themselves seized positions near Taiz shortly before the government counteroffensive, according to an AFP news agency citing a military officer.

Houthi forces have also been attempting to cut off the government-held port of al-Makha, and advance towards areas bordering the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The scale of government losses also shows how contested the battlefield remains. Twenty-six government soldiers were killed in several hours of fighting on Saturday alone, according to AFP’s military sources.

What is Saudi’s role in the conflict?

The escalation is also increasingly intertwined with the wider regional conflict linked to the US-Israel war on Iran.

The Iran-backed Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in July and began targeting Saudi ships and territory, while Saudi Arabia has carried out air strikes against Houthi positions in Taiz.

Bab al-Mandeb has become particularly important after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. The Hormuz blockade has triggered a global energy crisis and is pushing the global economy into turbulence.

The waterway is a key transit route for Saudi oil, one of only two exit-entry points to the Red Sea, the other being the Suez Canal, raising the stakes as Houthi forces attempt to advance towards areas bordering the strait.

In July, Saudi Arabia announced a mission to form an international alliance to guard the Red Sea from attacks on shipping by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

随着战斗升级，政府军取得进展，引发了人们对全面战争卷土重来的担忧。

2026年9月5日，效忠也门国际公认政府的战士们乘坐一辆皮卡车行驶在也门荷台达以南的海斯地区。[法新社]

也门国际公认的政府表示，其部队在最近几周战斗升级的情况下，对胡塞武装取得了重大进展，引发了人们对全面战争卷土重来的担忧。

政府军周六表示，他们已经夺回了胡塞武装控制下的荷台达省具有战略意义的地区，并在塔伊兹西部取得了进展。

也门分裂的教育体系使学生的未来充满不确定性（列表1/3）

（共3张图，此为第2张）胡塞武装与也门政府军在也门西南部发生冲突

列表 3/3 在也门，椰枣为经济选择有限的农民提供了生命线。

然而，最新的进展还不足以使也门旷日持久的战争发生决定性的转变。

与伊朗结盟的胡塞武装仍然控制着首都萨那和其他几个城市，并且最近在塔伊兹附近推进，试图威胁政府控制的港口马哈（摩卡），并向具有重要战略意义的曼德海峡沿岸地区推进，曼德海峡是连接红海和阿拉伯海的咽喉要道。

这场战斗发生在沙特阿拉伯卷入的更广泛的地区冲突之中，而沙特阿拉伯是也门政府的主要支持者。

随着战事日益集中在通往世界上最重要的航运路线之一的地区，利雅得对胡塞武装最近占领的阵地进行了空袭。

以下是您需要了解的内容：

地面上的最新战斗情况如何？

政府军一直在多个战线与胡塞武装作战，其中塔伊兹省、荷台达省以及红海西岸的冲突最为激烈。

由也门国际公认政府控制的萨巴通讯社周六报道称，也门军队已控制荷台达省海斯区，该报道援引了一位身份不明的军事消息人士的话。

海斯地理位置优越，位于荷台达省、塔伊兹省和伊卜省的交界处。胡塞武装尚未对此最新进展发表评论。

消息人士还称，政府军已收复塔伊兹西部巴尔赫路口附近地区，并向胡塞武装阵地推进。塔伊兹目前由胡塞武装和沙特支持的也门政府分别控制。

也门新闻部官员法耶德·努曼表示，政府军在荷台达南部贾拉希地区的冲突中还俘虏了数十名胡塞武装分子。

据法新社报道，周六在塔伊兹发生的冲突造成 60 多人死亡，其中包括平民。

周四，胡塞武装在塔伊兹西部和荷台达南部的前线发动大规模攻势，使用弹道导弹、无人机和大炮，与地面部队试图向红海沿岸政府控制区推进的局面爆发战斗。

联合国人道主义事务协调厅（OCHA）表示，过去两天，随着塔伊兹战斗升级，约有 1800 个家庭流离失所。

经过数月的平静之后，也门政府军在8月初对胡塞武装在多条战线上的阵地发动进攻，战斗再次爆发。

在沙特阿拉伯支持的反攻以及随后阿联酋支持的南方过渡委员会（STC）于1月份解散之后，也门政府重新控制了南部和东部的主要领土。

他们现在的目标是在将胡塞武装控制的地区置于一个统一的政府之下后，实现也门的统一。

但在政府军增援和反攻的背景下，胡塞武装向麦加附近的政府控制区和曼德海峡沿岸地区推进。

也门局势的最新升级打破了此前一段相对平静的时期，这段平静时期自2022年4月联合国斡旋达成停火协议以来基本维持。该停火协议结束了自2014年胡塞武装占领包括首都萨那在内的也门大部分地区以来的大规模战斗。

但周四的袭击事件暗示着大规模冲突的回归。

也门军队正在重新控制局势吗？

攻占海斯意义重大，因为它连接着荷台达、塔伊兹和伊卜，而巴尔赫附近的推进可能有助于政府军在塔伊兹西部击退胡塞武装。

总统领导委员会主席拉沙德·阿里米表示，也门武装部队有能力恢复对整个国家的控制，并警告说，胡塞武装的“误判”将导致其“彻底崩溃”。

然而，现在就将这些事态发展描述为控制权的重大转变还为时过早。

2026年9月5日，效忠也门沙特支持的政府的士兵站在荷台达以南海斯地区的皮卡车旁。[法新社]

据法新社援引一名军官的话报道，在政府军反攻之前不久，胡塞武装已经占领了塔伊兹附近的阵地。

胡塞武装还试图切断政府控制的马哈港，并向曼德海峡沿岸地区推进。

政府军的损失规模也表明战场上的争夺依然十分激烈。据法新社军方消息人士透露，仅周六几个小时的战斗中，就有26名政府军士兵丧生。

沙特阿拉伯在冲突中扮演什么角色？

局势升级也日益与美国和以色列对伊朗战争相关的更广泛的地区冲突交织在一起。

伊朗支持的胡塞武装于7月宣布对沙特阿拉伯实施海上封锁，并开始袭击沙特船只和领土，而沙特阿拉伯则对塔伊兹的胡塞武装阵地进行了空袭。

伊朗封锁霍尔木兹海峡后，曼德海峡的重要性日益凸显。霍尔木兹海峡封锁引发了全球能源危机，并导致全球经济动荡。

这条水道是沙特石油的重要运输路线，也是红海仅有的两个出入口之一（另一个是苏伊士运河），随着胡塞武装试图向海峡沿岸地区推进，局势变得更加紧张。

7 月，沙特阿拉伯宣布了一项组建国际联盟的计划，以保护红海免受伊朗支持的也门胡塞武装对航运的袭击。