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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Al Jazeera Staff
The Yemeni government claims it has made significant gains against the Houthi rebels in recent weeks, recapturing territory in Hodeidah province and advancing in western Taiz. However, the Houthis still control key cities, including Sanaa, and have recently advanced around Taiz to threaten a government-held port. The fighting has displaced over 1,800 families in Taiz in just two days, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The conflict is part of a wider regional struggle involving Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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.
asserted
fighting → recognise → war
The government forces on Saturday said they had recaptured strategically located territory in Hodeidah province under Houthi control and advanced in western Taiz.
asserted
they → say → Taiz
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However, the latest gains do not yet amount to a decisive shift in Yemen’s long-running war.
asserted
gains → divide → 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.
asserted
that → align → Sea
The fighting comes amid a wider regional conflict involving Saudi Arabia, which is a key backer of the Yemeni government.
asserted
which → come → 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.
asserted
battle → carry → routes
Here is what you need to know:
What is the latest fighting on the ground?
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fighting → need → 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.
asserted
forces → fight → 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.
asserted
Hais → control → provinces
The Houthis have yet to comment on this latest development.
asserted
Houthis → have → development
The source also said government forces have regained areas around the al-Barh junction in western Taiz and advanced towards Houthi positions.
asserted
forces → say → positions
Taiz is divided between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
asserted
Taiz → divide → Houthis
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.
asserted
forces → say → Hodeidah
Clashes in Taiz killed more than 60 people, including civilians, on Saturday, the AFP news agency reported.
asserted
agency → kill → Saturday
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.
asserted
forces → erupt → 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.
asserted
fighting → say → Taiz
Fighting renewed in early August after months of calm when Yemeni government forces launched attacks on Houthi positions across multiple front lines.
asserted
forces → renew → 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.
asserted
government → re → January
They now aim to unite Yemen after bringing the areas under Houthi control under one administration.
asserted
They → aim → 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.
asserted
Houthis → push → forces
The latest escalation follows a period of relative calm in Yemen that had largely held since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022.
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that → follow → April
The ceasefire brought an end to major fighting since the Houthis’ capture of much of the country, including Sanaa, in 2014.
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ceasefire → bring → 2014
But Thursday’s attacks hint at a return to large-scale conflict.
asserted
attacks → hint → conflict
Are Yemen’s forces regaining control?
asserted
forces → regain → 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.
uncertain
forces → link → 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.
asserted
it → say → control
The Houthis had themselves seized positions near Taiz shortly before the government counteroffensive, according to an AFP news agency citing a military officer.
uncertain
Houthis → seize → 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.
asserted
forces → attempt → strait
The scale of government losses also shows how contested the battlefield remains.
asserted
battlefield → show → losses
Twenty-six government soldiers were killed in several hours of fighting on Saturday alone, according to AFP’s military sources.
uncertain
soldiers → kill → sources
The escalation is also increasingly intertwined with the wider regional conflict linked to the US-Israel war on Iran.
asserted
escalation → intertwine → 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.
asserted
Arabia → back → Taiz
Bab al-Mandeb has become particularly important after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
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Iran → become → shipping
The Hormuz blockade has triggered a global energy crisis and is pushing the global economy into turbulence.
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blockade → trigger → 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.
asserted
forces → raise → 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.
asserted
Arabia → announce → Yemen
