Death toll crosses 300 in Yemen as Houthi offensive forces thousands to abandon homes

Heavy fighting between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels in southwest Yemen has left over 300 people dead, as an offensive by the rebel group forces hundreds of families to abandon their homes. The renewed violence marks the deadliest escalation in the country since a long-standing ceasefire collapsed.

According to military and medical sources on both sides of the conflict, the casualty count includes mostly combatants alongside several civilians. Officials from the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government reported losing 84 troops, largely to Houthi missile strikes. Total fatalities from the multi-day offensive have surpassed 300.

The violence erupted when Houthi forces launched a major push aimed at severing the primary supply route linking the city of Taiz to the government-held port city of Mokha. Military officials confirmed that rebel forces successfully severed the strategic highway, part of an effort to advance toward the Bab al-Mandeb Strait a vital global shipping channel at the southern mouth of the Red Sea.

The rapid advance has triggered severe civilian displacement across the Taiz governorate, particularly in the Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi districts. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 1,800 households have been forced to flee due to heavy artillery shelling and ground firefights.

Displaced families have been arriving at informal camps, including the Al-Bareen site, carrying basic necessities, livestock, and temporary shelter materials. Fleeing residents described intense crossfire, with many forced to leave behind basic supplies. Local aid organisations report acute shortages of food, shelter, and medical supplies to care for the arriving families.

The United Nations expressed deep concern over the military escalation, warning that continued fighting risks worsening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and destabilising the wider region. Despite localised counter-advances by government troops north of Hays, analysts note that the offensive has effectively shattered the fragile remaining framework of the 2022 truce, pushing the country back toward full-scale conflict.