Why has fighting flared up again in Yemen?

An informal ceasefire that held for roughly four years broke down following actions in July 2026, when Houthi forces declared an embargo on Saudi maritime traffic and resumed long-range assaults on Saudi infrastructure. By September, rebel fighters mounted an offensive across southwestern Yemen, seizing territory along the Red Sea coast, taking over Dhubab, Mokha, and Perim Island, and severing the main highway linking Taiz to Aden.

In reaction to these losses, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced a nationwide offensive called Operation Yemen Dawn from Riyadh on October 4. Alimi stated that diplomatic de-escalation efforts had failed and ordered allied forces to recapture all territory held by the rebel movement, including the capital, Sanaa.

Backed by Saudi air cover, combined ground units including the Giants Brigades, the National Shield, and the Tihama Resistance mounted counteroffensives along the Red Sea coast. Government commanders announced they had secured the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, encircled rebel fighters in Dhubab, and taken the local airfield. Conflicting reports noted troops had reached the outskirts of Mokha as Houthi combatants withdrew, though Houthi media denied losing ground in Dhubab.

Concurrently, heavy combat flared across Taiz province. Houthi forces captured the al-Safiya district and cut transit lines to Aden, isolating Taiz. More than 70 fighters died in a single day of clashes around Taiz and neighboring Lahj province. Clashes and coalition aerial bombardments have also struck Saada, al-Jawf, and Sanaa.

The fighting quickly expanded across national boundaries. Houthi forces claimed strikes using ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Khurais, causing large fires verified by satellite imagery. On October 7, Saudi air defenses destroyed a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. The Saudi coalition also accused the Houthis of an uncrewed aerial strike on September 29 against an electrical substation in Medina, an allegation the rebel group denied.

Inside Yemen, two Houthi missiles struck near Aden International Airport on October 7, though no casualties were reported. A rebel coordination body also warned international airlines that the majority of Saudi airspace is dangerous.

The renewed combat has inflicted heavy losses on civilians. The Yemeni health ministry reported that at least 959 people died and around 5,000 sustained injuries between August 6 and early October. United Nations data indicates that the violence has displaced approximately 197,000 individuals from their homes.

Global energy markets have also felt the effects of coastal fighting and threats to maritime shipping corridors near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, causing international crude benchmarks to rise.

Pro-government forces plan to continue operations until all Houthi-held territory is recaptured, while rebel authorities have warned commercial airlines that most Saudi airspace is no longer safe.