Houthi forces fire 14 ballistic missiles at Yemen’s western coast, army says

Houthi fighters launched fourteen ballistic missiles and carried out several drone attacks against populated areas along Yemen’s western coast in Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, the Yemeni Armed Forces Media Centre said on Thursday.

According to a military source cited by the media centre, air defence units intercepted a number of drones along the Taiz front as well as additional drones targeting districts on the western coast. The source described the readiness of Yemeni armed forces as high, saying morale among troops remained strong and that units across multiple sectors continued to maintain a heightened level of vigilance.

The source added that none of the ballistic missiles struck positions held by forces deployed along the western coast. Yemeni forces also succeeded in suppressing hostile fire and other threats emerging from the Al Kadaha sector of the Al Barh front in western Taiz province, where ground clashes between the two sides have continued.

Yemen has experienced a relative period of calm since April 2022, following roughly a decade of war between government forces and Houthi fighters, who have held control of the capital Sanaa along with several other cities and provinces since September 2014. In recent weeks, however, fighting has picked up again in a number of provinces, including Marib, Al Jawf, Al Dhalea and Taiz, further straining a country already grappling with one of the most severe humanitarian and economic crises in the world.

A Saudi led coalition continues to back Yemen’s internationally recognized government, while Iran is widely accused of providing support to the Houthi movement, a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied. Tensions escalated further in July when the Houthis announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, adding a new dimension to a conflict that has increasingly extended beyond Yemen’s borders and affected regional shipping and security.

The renewed missile and drone attacks come as international mediators continue efforts to revive a broader ceasefire framework, though repeated rounds of fighting in recent months have complicated those negotiations. Humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen have warned that continued instability threatens to further disrupt aid delivery to millions of people who rely on assistance amid ongoing shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies across the country.