Yemen

The latest round of escalating clashes in Yemen has killed or injured 610 civilians, according to an initial government toll, and forced tens of thousands to flee their areas. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme warned that food security could collapse in a country where 18.3 million people face acute food insecurity.

The Yemeni armed forces announced that they had taken control of Sam'a Fort south-east of Taiz governorate following clashes with Houthi forces, backed by local popular resistance fighters. A military source said the fighting left dozens of Houthis dead or wounded, as the forces carried out strikes in several areas of the governorate.

Authorities in Aden have temporarily suspended the expansion of a security campaign targeting African migrants in the Sheikh Othman and Mansoura districts after finding that detention facilities could not accommodate the number of detainees. The campaign coincides with tighter monitoring of the city’s entry points, as international data shows that migrants from the Horn of Africa continue to arrive in Yemen.

Riyadh is considering two options for a military operation led by Yemeni forces with Saudi air support, aimed at reversing Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast and retaking control of the area around Bab al-Mandab. The operation could involve more than 100,000 Yemeni soldiers, while Saudi allies would provide intelligence support and defensive equipment without an expected direct combat role.

The World Food Programme warned that Yemen’s hunger crisis is accelerating as fighting intensifies and more than 150,000 people are displaced. It said about three in four households in areas it can reach are unable to meet their basic food needs. The programme needs $109 million to expand emergency assistance.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the resources provided to the European Aspides mission were insufficient to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Rome renewed its call for greater participation, while European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the mission needed more than 10 warships.

The United Nations Children’s Fund said more than 145,000 people, including around 79,000 children, were displaced in western Yemen between 3 and 28 September as fighting resumed and front lines shifted. It said families in Taiz were living in overcrowded camps amid limited access to clean water, healthcare and basic services.

UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg warned of the risks that military escalation in Taiz governorate poses to residents, following reports of casualties, infrastructure damage and road closures. He called on the Houthis to halt their attack, stressing that he was continuing contacts with the parties to contain the fighting, ensure civilian movement and facilitate aid access.

Arab countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the Houthi group’s targeting of a power station supplying the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, describing the attack as a violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and the sanctity of Islamic holy sites. The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt affirmed their solidarity with the Kingdom and support for its measures to protect its security and stability.

The Yemeni government has called for urgent international action against weapons it says the Houthi group launches from Hudaydah near air routes over the southern Red Sea, warning of the danger to civilian aircraft and humanitarian flights and calling for enforcement of the arms embargo and coordination with the International Civil Aviation Organisation to assess the risks.

Yemen’s cabinet in Aden approved executive measures to mobilise resources and raise institutional, military, security, economic and humanitarian readiness, amid escalating fighting in Taiz and Lahj. The directives included securing goods, salaries and services and preparing for displacement-related consequences, while the cabinet welcomed the deposit of $60 million in Saudi support with the central bank.

People, including civilians, have been killed and injured as shelling and fighting continue between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis on several fronts. Alongside developments on the ground, the Defence Ministry discussed arrangements for general mobilisation, while the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of cells linked to the Houthis. The Human Rights Ministry said it had documented the deaths of 100 children recruited by the group during September.

The Yemeni Armed Forces said they had carried out eight precision strikes targeting Houthi reinforcements, weapons and military equipment, including three artillery batteries on the Al-Wazi’iyah front and a mobile air-defence system in Mokha, as well as leaders and members in Al-Mansoura and the Bab al-Mandab area.

The European Union’s Aspides mission said 2,640 ships have requested protection and escort services since it was launched in 2024, while about 130 ships request escorts each month in the Bab el-Mandeb. The mission faces a shortage of warships compared with the number targeted when it was established, amid continuing risks to shipping in the Red Sea.

A report found that between 120 and several hundred al-Shabaab members were trained at camps in Yemen, primarily in weapons use, bomb-making and drone operations. Other reports said the Houthis had sold weapons to the group, amid a US warning that the two groups’ growing capabilities could threaten shipping in the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean.

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Majed al-Nazili announced that 356 targeting operations had been carried out over 24 hours on several fronts, saying field estimates indicated that 476 Houthi members had been killed or wounded, in addition to the destruction and disabling of command centres, weapons depots and military vehicles.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi ordered the implementation procedures for the safe return and general mobilisation decisions to be expedited after completing their constitutional and legal processes. He said mobilisation includes human, material and moral resources, while presenting an account of military operations during a meeting in Riyadh and affirming that the status of those who leave the Houthis will be regularised under the announced guarantees.

Yemen’s parliament approved a request by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi to declare general mobilisation to confront the Houthi military escalation. The mobilisation will take effect from the date of its declaration and end when the reasons for it cease to exist. The council cited constitutional and legal provisions, calling on political forces to overcome their differences and support the armed forces.

Yemeni government forces said the Houthis are using modified Iranian air-defence systems capable of flying for around 25 minutes while searching for targets through thermal tracking. Experts say their potential capabilities could affect military operations and aviation safety in the southern Red Sea, while stressing the need for field data to establish their actual operational range.

The Houthi-affiliated Health Ministry said seven people were killed and 40 others, including children, were injured in strikes targeting shops in the Mafraq Mawiyah area east of Taiz. While the ministry accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attack, Yemen’s government forces said their aircraft had struck a Houthi camp and military vehicles near the site.

Several Yemeni fronts have seen fighting, air strikes and reciprocal shelling between government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group, with clashes concentrated in Taiz and Kahboub overlooking Bab al-Mandab. Both sides have traded claims of advances and inflicted losses, while offering differing accounts of control over Mount Numan and surrounding areas.

The Gulf Cooperation Council affirmed that its member states stand with Saudi Arabia and support its measures to protect its security and sovereignty following ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. The council’s Secretary-General called on the international community to adopt a firm stance, while the coalition supporting legitimacy announced that it had intercepted two drones and two missiles.

Saudi Arabia said its defences intercepted two drones launched by the Houthis towards the capital, Riyadh, in the latest attack in a wave of missile and drone launches targeting Saudi cities during September, including attempted strikes on Riyadh, Taif, Yanbu and Mecca.

The cities of Marib and Taiz marked the 64th anniversary of the 26 September Revolution with official and popular events, as clashes took place between government forces and fighters from the Ansar Allah group. In a speech marking the occasion, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi called for mobilisation and enlistment in the armed forces, and announced an amnesty for those who abandon fighting alongside the Houthis.