On 3 September 2026, the Iran-backed Houthis launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), the internationally recognized government of Yemen, amid the ongoing Yemeni civil war. Clashes began in Taiz Governorate, prompting a PLC counter-offensive against the Houthis in the Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda governorates.
The fighting coincides with the ongoing 2026 Iran war, which has marked the deadliest fighting in Yemen since the collapse of the 2022 ceasefire. The Yemeni government lost areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait in Yemen's southwest after a swift battle over Mokha, resulting in a crisis with the entire west coast of Yemen (except for the Midi district) falling under control of the Houthi movement, who named the operation as Operation Allah is Stronger in Might and More Severe in Punishment. The counteroffensive of the PLC against the Houthis was named Operation Dawn of Yemen.
Background
2022 ceasefire and the Red Sea crisis
The Houthis and the internationally recognized government of Yemen reached a ceasefire agreement in 2022, which largely held until the 2026 campaign. Peace talks stalled in 2023 amidst the Gaza war. Starting on 19 October 2023, the Houthis began launching missiles and drones at international shipping crossing the Bab al-Mandab Strait in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza, triggering the Red Sea crisis. In response, a US-led multinational coalition launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in late 2023 to secure shipping through the Red Sea. In early 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom launched a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi missile and drone launch sites across Yemen. In March 2025, the United States launched a larger wave of strikes against the Houthis, after which the Houthis agreed to stop attacking U.S. vessels in the Red Sea. Additionally, Israel previously launched a series of airstrikes on Houthi-controlled Yemen in response to missile attacks by the group, including a July 2024 strike on Tel Aviv that killed one person. Following the implementation of the Gaza peace plan in 2025, both parties briefly ceased attacks until March 2026, when the Houthis again launched missiles toward Israel in support of Iran and the Axis of Resistance, all of which were intercepted.
2026 Iran war and escalation
On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran, aimed at regime change. Iran and its allied militias, including Hezbollah and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, retaliated against U.S., Israeli, and other regional countries' military and energy infrastructure with drone and missile strikes. The Houthis initially refrained from joining the fighting, breaking with the rest of the Axis of Resistance, only joining the war on 28 March.
When the US navy reimposed its naval blockade against Iran on 14 July 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran threatened to cut "all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies", with a senior Houthi official warning that the group was prepared to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait. On 16 July 2026, Reuters reported that Iran had asked the Houthis to be ready to close the strait should the US strike Iranian power infrastructure. Soon after the Houthis began deploying drones and missiles near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
On 13 July 2026, a Mahan Air flight carrying IRGC commanders and weapons attempted to land at Sanaa Airport, in the Houthi-controlled capital. Yemeni government forces and Saudi Arabia responded by striking the airport's runway to prevent the landing. In retaliation for the strike, the Houthis declared the ceasefire with the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia over. On 20 July, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, amid the renewed U.S. naval blockade of Iran. The Houthis subsequently began striking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. On 24 July, Saudi Arabia retaliated against the earlier Houthi strikes on its oil tankers by bombing Houthi targets in the port city of Hodeidah. In response, the Houthis struck the Jizan oil refinery and the port city of Yanbu in Saudi Arabia two days later. Starting on 6 August, the Houthis also started striking Yemeni government forces across the country with missiles and drones, killing and injuring dozens of troops.
Timeline
3–9 September
On 3 September, the Houthis launched what was described as a "massive offensive" in the Taiz Governorate, attempting to cut the road linking Taiz to Mokha and thus sever Taiz city from the coast and escalate the Siege of Taiz. At least 129 people were reportedly killed (At least 66 Yemeni Government / PLC soldiers, At least 62 Houthi Militia Forces fighters, and At least 1 Yemeni civilian) in the clashes. Despite initial Houthi gains, Yemeni government forces (PLC) were able to regain control of some of the lost territories.
On 4 September, the PLC said it had recaptured the al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills in the Jabal Habashi district west of Taiz city.
On 6 September, the PLC claimed to have taken full control of the Hays district in Al-Hudaydah Governorate, and advanced in western Taiz.
On 7 September, the PLC claimed to have made advances on several fronts in the Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda regions, taking control of the Al-Labanat military camp and moving toward the town of Al Hazm. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes across Yemen, including on a prison in Al Hazm, killing 23 people. They also claimed that a ballistic missile struck a military convoy en route to the Al-Wadiah military base in Hadhramaut. A Saudi Aramco oil refinery in Jizan was also struck by Houthi forces.
The Yemeni National Resistance claimed that several Somali al-Shabaab militants were killed fighting alongside the Houthis in western Yemen.
On 8 September, the PLC said their offensive aimed to capture the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and reported that government-aligned forces had advanced on the outskirts of Dhi Na'im district in Al-Bayda governorate and had captured the town of Yatma in Al-Jawf governorate.
The Houthis struck the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, Jizan and Najran in Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles, wounding 73 people and damaging several oil sites. Houthi shelling on an internally displaced person camp in Marib killed two children and injured 15 others. The Houthis also accused Saudi Arabia of conducting airstrikes on multiple sites in Yemen.
The PLC said that it recaptured Al-Mukazama and Al-Mihal in Taiz and struck a Houthi gathering in Jabal Habashi.
During fighting in Taiz, the National Resistance said that it captured Ali al-Adhari, a senior leader in the Houthi rapid intervention unit in al-Barh.
On 9 September, Houthi media reported 32 Saudi airstrikes in the regions of Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Hodeidah.
Yemeni army airstrikes also hit Houthi positions in Maqbanah, where an offensive was launched to capture Kadha. Also in Taiz, the PLC said that it retook Makazma, Mihal hill, Hamra, Sawda, and Shiek, while a Houthi offensive targeting al-Wazi'iyah was repelled.
The PLC launched a major offensive in southern Marib, capturing several areas, as well as villages in al-Kaddah in Taiz. Government-run Saba News Agency reported that an attack by the Houthis in Marib killed three children.
Clashes occurred in al-Bayda, al-Dhale, Hodeidah. Additionally, Houthi shelling killed two civilians in Hays. The Southern Giants Brigades said it struck a Houthi combat vehicle in al-Bayda, killing its occupants.
An airstrike reportedly hit a gathering of Houthi leaders in al-Bahr that included Houthi defense minister Mohamed al-Atifi, although his fate was unclear.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said that the Houthis conducted drone and ballistic missile attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jizan. The Houthis seized the Khalid bin Walid camp after several clashes with the PLC in Taiz Governorate.
A Yemeni army (PLC) convoy was ambushed while driving on a road in Hays, Hodeidah governorate when it was shot by suspected Houthi soldiers, killing one person and injuring a couple more.
Remnants of the Southern Transitional Council—now identifying as the "Southern Resistance"—blocked local roads in Dhale and ambushed a convoy transporting Taher al-Aqili with the use of light and heavy weaponry, alongside drones and the support of local rioters; Alongside Tahir, a variety of important Yemeni political figures were also present at the convoy visiting the area, including the Governor of Al-Dhali' Governorate Ahmed al-Qubba, the Commander of the Eighth Military Region Hadi al-Awlaqi, the Commander of the 33rd Armored Division Major General Wajdi al-Zubaidi. On the same day the Southern Resistance and the PLC were reported jointly thwarthing a Houthi advance towards Al-Masharih-Al-Thawkhab sector in a confrontation which lasted one hour.
Major fighting broke out in Maarib leading to escalation and the beggining of the 2026 Marib campaign
10–16 September
On 10 September, Houthi forces captured the districts of Hays and Al Khawkhah in Hodeidah province, as well as the town of Mokha in western Taiz province, following advances. The PLC said that its forces had retreated toward the Dhubab district near the Bab al-Mandab strait.
A Houthi strike in Mafraq Harib in Marib killed three children and injured six others. The Houthis said that they shot down a Karayel drone from Saudi Arabia over Hajjah Governorate.
Later in the day, reports emerged that the Houthis also captured the Hanish Islands in Hodeidah governorate, amid unverified claims of the capture of the strategically located Dhubab district and Perim island in the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The Houthis said that Saudi Arabia had conducted 64 airstrikes in Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, and Al-Jawf, adding that their air defenses repelled an aerial squadron over Taiz.
Following their withdrawal from Mokha district, the PLC declared a "kill box" around the area, intending to use "all weapons and firepower", and warning civilians to avoid the Taiz–Mokha road until further notice.
Following the incident that occurred between the Southern Resistance and the PLC the day prior, Southern Resistance's Brigadier General Ali Shaif Al-Hariri, an official spokesperson of the group, issued a formal statement categorically rejecting and condemning the disruption of Minister Al-Aqili's convoy. Al-Hariri labeled the ambush a "reprehensible and unacceptable act" that ran counter to the tribal customs and history of Dhale. The official leadership statement emphasized that internal political differences within the resistance must not escalate into violence or chaos, stating that his group should focus most of its firepower against the Houthis instead. On the same day, the General Union of Southern Arabian Tribes stated its support for the events that took place in Dhale and stated it was ready to support the Southern Resistance with men and equipment, following up with an official call to arms the following day.
On 11 September, the Houthis claimed control over Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, including the Perim Island and the al-Omari camp. The Yemeni government said that its forces had withdrawn from Perim, and that the Houthis had also captured the town of Dhubab, on the Red Sea coast facing the island. Reports of the Houthis taking Perim islands were also confirmed by Saudi and PLC sources. The Houthis also advanced into Al Aradi, and skirmished with government forces near Jabal Kahbub.
Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called President Donald Trump twice on 10 September, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis, but that Trump rejected the request. Two U.S. officials said the US did not intend to directly intervene at the time. A PLC official also said the US withheld support from a full-scale Saudi air attack. Saudi airstrikes targeted the Mokha airport. The Yemeni Brigadier General Farouk al-Kholani of the 1st Infantry Division was initially reported killed while battling Houthi forces, along with his son on the west coast of Yemen. It was later revealed that al-Kholani was captured by Houthi fighters.
The Support and Reinforcement Brigades, who traditionally operated alongside the former Security Belt Forces in Aden and Lahej under the command of the STC prior to its fall, announced through their leader and spokesperson Aidarus al-Zoubaidi and through Brigadier General Nasr Atef al-Yafei, their full combat readiness to protect Southern Yemen and fight for the cause of South Yemen, calling all other formations of the Southern Resistance to unite in a front for national interest.
The PLC-aligned Yemeni Air Force began airstrikes on a designated "kill zone" in Taiz Governorate, with army spokesman Col. Majed Al-Nuzaily warning citizens to stay off the roads of Taiz-Mokha and Mokha-Dhubab.