Yemen's Government Makes Its Biggest Territorial Gains in Years as the 2022 Truce Unravels
Yemen's internationally recognized government announced on September 6 that its forces had recaptured strategically located territory in Hodeidah province and advanced in western Taiz, the most notable shift in front lines since fighting resumed in early August.
The SABA news agency, controlled by the government, reported that Yemeni military units had taken control of Hais district in Hodeidah, citing an unidentified military source. Hais sits at the junction of Hodeidah, Taiz, and Ibb provinces, giving it outsized operational value for any force seeking to move troops between Yemen's western coastal lowlands and its central highlands (Al Jazeera).
Government forces also regained areas around the al-Barh junction in western Taiz, according to the same SABA report, and advanced toward Houthi positions in the area. Yemeni Information Ministry official Fayad al-Numan said government forces captured dozens of Houthi fighters during clashes in al-Jarahi district in southern Hodeidah. Separate reporting confirmed advances in Jabal Habashi as fighting intensified west of Taiz (Anadolu Agency).
The government's gains came in response to a major Houthi offensive launched on Thursday along front lines in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, which employed ballistic missiles, drones, and artillery. The Houthis have simultaneously pushed to advance around Taiz in an apparent bid to threaten the government-held port of al-Makha (Mocha), located near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow waterway through which a large share of global maritime trade passes (The New York Times). Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government, has carried out air strikes against positions recently captured by the Houthis.
The toll has been severe. Clashes in Taiz killed more than 60 people, including civilians, on Saturday, according to AFP. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that approximately 1,800 families had been displaced over the preceding two days as fighting escalated in the Taiz area.
How We Got Here
This escalation follows a period of relative calm that had largely held since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022. That truce was a formal agreement to pause fighting, and while it was never formally renewed, it held in practice across most front lines for over four years. Fighting resumed in early August when Yemeni government forces launched attacks on Houthi positions across multiple front lines. The UN has warned that Yemen could return to large-scale conflict as tensions flare between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed government (AP News). A blocked Iranian flight to Yemen triggered the latest round of escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
The government's ability to consolidate and extend gains has been shaped by a realignment of southern forces. Following a Saudi-backed counteroffensive and the dissolution of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in January, the Yemeni government re-established control over major southern and eastern territories. This internal consolidation freed up forces and simplified command structures along the western front, where the current fighting is concentrated. Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Col. Majed Al-Nuzaili announced on August 21 that the armed forces had conducted 81 military operations against Houthi militia over the preceding 24 hours, indicating the tempo of operations had already reached sustained-intensity levels weeks before the latest territorial shifts (26 September News).
The Houthis, who captured much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa in 2014, still control Sanaa and several other major cities. Their territorial holdings remain substantial despite the latest government advances. Because the Houthis hold so much ground, even successful government offensives in Hodeidah and Taiz would need to be sustained across multiple fronts to meaningfully alter the strategic balance.
Why This Matters Beyond Yemen
The broader context extends beyond Yemen's internal front lines. The Houthis have been considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, a step that followed their declaration of a naval restriction in late July (Reuters). Any Houthi move against the port of al-Makha would extend their coastal footprint closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which a significant share of global maritime trade transits. US military operations against Houthi targets killed 153 civilians and wounded 243 in 2025, according to reporting published September 5, showing that external military involvement has continued to impose costs on the civilian population even during the nominal truce period (Al Jazeera).
What remains unclear is whether the government's territorial gains can be consolidated or whether they will trigger further Houthi escalation along additional front lines. The Houthi offensive that began on Thursday, employing ballistic missiles and drones, indicates that the group retains significant offensive capability despite recent territorial losses. With the UN truce effectively defunct and no active mediation framework producing results, the trajectory points toward a widening conflict rather than a return to the uneasy calm that held from 2022 through July 2026.
