Houthi attacks on gov’t forces hint that a major battle in Yemen is brewing

Sanaa, Yemen – Houthi missiles and drones struck military locations inside Yemen on Thursday, leaving at least 30 government soldiers dead and 15 others injured in the first such attack in years.

Targeting government military camps and gatherings in Hadramout and Marib, the attacks marked a major escalation in the war between the Houthis and the government.

Yaya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, claimed in a broadcast statement that the attacks killed “hundreds” and “destroyed a large number of camps and depots”.

He alleged that the strikes were launched after Houthi forces “detected a massive Saudi military mobilisation” with the aim of an escalation.

The two sides have been at war since the Houthis and their allies captured the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014, with a Saudi-led coalition intervening in March 2015 on the side of the government.

Fierce fighting has subsided in recent years, but there has been a consolidation of government and some southern forces since the United Arab Emirates left Yemen in 2025. The Houthis’ gradual engagement in the regional war between the US and Israel against Iran, the group’s key ally, included an announcement of a naval blockade on Saudi ports and attacks in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait last month .

The Houthis are now on high alert for any military developments, Saree said, as pro-government forces appear to be preparing to retaliate for Thursday’s attacks and the renewal of Yemen’s largely dormant war.

The strikes on government forces in Marib and Hadramout mark a turning point in Yemen’s conflict, with analysts telling Al Jazeera that Yemen appears to be edging closer to a wider conflict.