Yemen · 07 September, 2026 · 3 min read
Houthis Ground Assault Kills At Least 100 Near Bab El-Mandeb, Yemen Fighting Intensifies
Houthi forces pushed toward Bab al-Mandab Strait, with at least 100 people killed. Clashes intensified between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces since Thursday.
Death toll ranges from 100+ to 300+ across reporting.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: houthis strike Saudi cities including oil facilities and an airbase.
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Varying totals change perceived scale and urgency of the offensive.
Houthis press toward Bab al-Mandeb
Fighting between Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen’s government forces intensified after the Houthis launched a ground assault along with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas on Thursday, as they pushed toward territory bordering the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the Red Sea’s southern entrance.
“At least 100 killed as Yemen’s Houthis push towards key strait”
Al Jazeera said the push was accompanied by a death toll of at least 100, while CNA reported that clashes between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces killed 81, according to military and medical sources on Friday (Sep 4).A
CNA described the offensive as aiming to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha and advance toward areas bordering the Bab el-Mandeb, with the Houthis trying to cement control over a chokepoint that links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.
CNA also said the Houthis seized elevated sites overlooking government positions near the Red Sea, including the coastal town of Khokha and Taiz city further inland, which military sources told AFP could allow them to target ships.
The New York Times framed the same escalation as the Houthis trying to gain control of a port city near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, with ground fighting escalating between the Houthis and forces allied with Yemen’s internationally recognized government supported by Saudi Arabia.
Tolls rise; officials cite aims
As the fighting continued, Kurdistan24 said the death toll rose sharply on Friday from an earlier count of 81 to at least 129, citing an AFP tally compiled from military and medical sources.
Kurdistan24 reported that a Yemeni military official told AFP that 66 government troops had been killed, while medical and military sources close to the Houthis said at least 62 Houthi fighters were dead, and another medical source reported one civilian killed.
The New York Times quoted Col. Abdul Basit al-Baher, an army officer with the Yemeni government in the region, saying he believed the militia’s moves in Taiz were an effort to reach the port city of Mokha, which it described as less than 50 miles from the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
CNA said the government sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden on Saudi orders, and it described the Houthis’ objective as controlling the hills overlooking Bab el-Mandeb and Mokha before attacking the coast.
Kurdistan24 added that the renewed battles centered on parts of Taiz province, including mountainous terrain overlooking supply routes between Taiz and the government-held port of Mokha, as the Houthis sought to strengthen control over approaches to the strait.
Shipping stakes and displacement
Kurdistan24 said Bab al-Mandab is roughly 30 kilometers wide at its narrowest point and forms part of the shortest major maritime route between Asia and Europe through Egypt’s Suez Canal, warning that serious disruption would force vessels to sail around southern Africa.
“annual ship transits through the Suez Canal fell from about 26,000 in 2023”
Kurdistan24 also reported that annual ship transits through the Suez Canal fell from about 26,000 in 2023 to roughly 12,700 in 2025 after repeated Houthi attacks forced many operators to avoid the Red Sea route.
RTL Today reported that the toll from days of fighting climbed past 300 on Sunday, while AFP journalists saw displaced people with mattresses, livestock and other belongings setting up shelters in another camp in the area.
RTL Today quoted Rawdhah Hasan, a woman displaced from Maqbanah, saying, "The shooting came at us from above and from below," and adding, "They surrounded us from every direction, we fled with our children without even putting on our shoes," as families took refuge at Al-Bareen camp for the internally displaced.
In the same reporting, RTL Today cited OCHA saying an estimated 1,790 households had been displaced following "intense shelling and clashes" in Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi districts, while a UN spokesman for Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned by the ongoing military clashes" and warned of "devastating political economic and security ramifications for Yemen and its people."