Yemen's Marib Advance and Taiz Shelling: What Changed on October 13
Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia said on October 13, 2026 that they had advanced in Marib governorate in north-central Yemen under operation "Dawn of Yemen," while intense fighting and Houthi shelling of residential areas in Taiz caused dozens of civilian casualties. Al Jazeera
The operation began just over a week earlier. Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, said the objective was to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory, including the capital Sanaa. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have controlled Sanaa since 2014.
In Marib, a Yemeni military source said government troops took high ground around the Maas camp facility in Medghal district in the northwest of the province. A governorate is like a province. Forces advancing from the Saba and Bayhan axes said they captured al-Muqailat and Jabal Zajjar positions north of Harib district on Marib's southern front. Military spokesperson Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said the operations involved 1,879 strikes, 950 Houthi fighters neutralized, and 380 military vehicles destroyed. Those figures are government claims and could not be independently verified. Marib and al-Jawf lie east of Sanaa, and government forces had already reported advances there as of October 11.
Taiz is the other main axis of fighting. The Houthis have the city in southwestern Yemen under siege, meaning it is surrounded and supplies struggle to move in and out. Yemeni forces launched an offensive to retake Houthi-held al-Waziiya in Taiz, a district important for control of Mocha, the Red Sea port. Al Jazeera That battle follows a Houthi sweep along the Red Sea coast in September 2026, when Houthi forces captured Mocha and territory around Bab al-Mandeb, a narrow strait where Red Sea shipping must pass. On September 24, government forces claimed dozens of Houthi fighters were killed and wounded in Taiz as battles for high ground continued, followed by claims of multiple air and ground operations across Taiz within 24 hours on September 27.
Strikes from the air and across the border continued in parallel. Houthi-affiliated media reported airstrikes on Kamaran Island and al-Qanawis district in Hodeidah governorate and Harf Sufyan district in Amran. Yemen's armed forces said in early October that they were conducting strikes against the Houthis in Sanaa, and a Yemeni spokesperson said Yemen carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets in Taiz province in early October. Reuters On October 8, Saudi forces targeted Houthi sites in retaliation for an airport strike. Three civilians, including two women, were killed and 36 injured in Houthi attacks on Abha and King Khalid International airports. A Houthi official threatened the United States with a "swift and painful" response if it joined Saudi Arabia in striking the Houthis. CBS News
On the humanitarian side, officials reported sharp pressure. Yemen's State Minister said fighting in Taiz and Marib would result in a real and unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe threatening the lives of more than 3.5 million people. Saba News Yemen's Human Rights Minister reviewed the impact of Houthi escalation in Taiz, Marib and Dhale'a, including rising displacement. Yemen's delegation to the 63rd UN Human Rights Council session stated that Houthi attacks disrupted health care in Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib and the western coast, affecting 26 UNICEF-supported health facilities. The United Nations reported that more than 700 people had been killed and thousands wounded in the latest fighting as of September 2026. Reuters Domestically, the Presidential Leadership Council stated that spying for, financing, or providing any support to Houthi militias are crimes subject to legal accountability, while the Yemen Scholars' Association expressed support for the operation, saying it was a moment to end Houthi rule.
The broader context here is a shift from containment to rollback. Since August, when Houthi attacks on government camps in Hadramout and Marib killed at least 30 people and the Houthis claimed 45 killed, Yemen has seen its fiercest military escalation since 2022. The Houthis said in August they had targeted Saudi-backed forces, depots, vehicles and military equipment at Sahn al-Jinn camp in Marib. The government answered with artillery, drones and, by October, sustained strikes on Sanaa and Taiz. Control of Marib affects access to energy infrastructure and the road network toward Sanaa. Control of al-Waziiya and Mocha affects access to the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
Looking at what this means for diplomats and planners, three variables matter now. First, whether the Saba-Bayhan push can hold terrain around Maas and Harib under counterattack. Second, whether Taiz city can absorb further shelling without collapse of water and health systems already flagged by Yemeni ministries. Third, whether outside involvement is contained. Saudi retaliatory strikes and explicit Houthi warnings to Washington raise the risk of a bilateral Yemen war becoming a regional air war. None of those outcomes are determined. The stated war aim from Aden is full retake. The facts on the ground remain contested block by block.
