The Houthi offensive to gain positive control of the Bab al-Mandeb kicked off in August and had some initial success but had its nose bloodied by an unexpectedly ferocious Saudi response.
The situation in Yemen is barely being paid attention to but significant developments continue to happen there.
The Houthi offensive 2 days ago stalled yesterday with the Saudi Arabian airforce carrying out a series of airstrikes followed by a counteroffensive by the KSA backed… https://t.co/gXfT83HHZL— Scharo Bajalan (@ScharoBajalan) September 5, 2026
The situation in Yemen is barely being paid attention to but significant developments continue to happen there.
The Houthi offensive 2 days ago stalled yesterday with the Saudi Arabian airforce carrying out a series of airstrikes followed by a counteroffensive by the KSA backed Yemen forces.
They retook some areas which they’ve previously lost to the Houthis but ultimately all of the areas that changed hands were much more grey zones rather than firmly controlled by any faction.
The counteroffensive progressed further but seems to have stalled in the recent hours - now reports suggest that the Houtis are making significant gains in the Al Taiz area; which possibly indicates that the KSA backed forces collapsed there.
Crisis Group reported that the Houthis held funerals for more than 60 fighters in the second week of August, with sources in Sanaa saying most were killed by government fire. There are reports of as many as 600 Houthi dead and wounded in just the first half of August.
Around September 3, heavy ground fighting took place in earnest. The Houthis launched a large offensive in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, seeking high ground overlooking the coast and a path toward Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Government-aligned forces then counterattacked. By September 4, the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) said it had recaptured the al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills in Jabal Habashi west of Taiz. By September 6, it claimed full control of Hays district in Hodeidah and further advances in western Taiz.
🚨 Iran’s proxies in Yemen are taking major losses as the Houthis lose ground across multiple fronts.
The Houthis launched their largest coordinated ground offensive on these fronts since the 2022 truce, attempting to expand around western Taiz and southern Hodeidah and increase…
https://t.co/UiFiuwjBJo pic.twitter.com/5nVKGrM8q5— The Iran Watcher (@TheIranWatcher) September 5, 2026
Iran’s proxies in Yemen are taking major losses as the Houthis lose ground across multiple fronts.
The Houthis launched their largest coordinated ground offensive on these fronts since the 2022 truce, attempting to expand around western Taiz and southern Hodeidah and increase pressure on the corridor toward Mokha and, ultimately, Bab al-Mandab.
Instead, they are now absorbing a series of setbacks.
Yemeni government-aligned forces say they have secured all of Hays District in southern Hodeidah, clearing remaining Houthi-held rural areas, valleys and high ground.
Government forces are also reporting advances into neighboring Al-Jarahi District, putting additional pressure on Houthi positions along the western coast.
In Hayfan, government forces reportedly captured Sa’id Taher hill, Dhiban and additional surrounding heights that had been held by the Houthis for years.
Around Maqbanah and Al-Tawir, initial Houthi gains have been met by counterattacks, with government forces reporting the recapture of several positions.
Yemeni government military media say aircraft carried out roughly 15 strikes against Houthi concentrations, vehicles and positions across the western Taiz and Hodeidah fronts.
The most important development is Hays. Fully securing the district strengthens the government-held corridor connecting southern Hodeidah with Al-Khokha and Mokha, reduces Houthi pressure on those supply routes and provides a stronger base for further operations along the Red Sea coast.
The Houthis still control Sana’a, Hodeidah city and much of northern Yemen, and fighting remains fluid. Claims of hundreds of Houthi casualties are also not independently confirmed.
But the direction of pressure matters.
The Houthis escalated hoping to move closer to Mokha and increase pressure toward Bab al-Mandab. Instead, they are fighting to recover lost ground.
And this comes as the Islamic Republic’s wider proxy architecture is being squeezed from Lebanon to Syria and Yemen.
Iran spent decades building a bloc capable of surrounding its adversaries with pressure. Increasingly, that bloc is losing territory, infrastructure and freedom of action across multiple fronts, with the Houthis now suffering some of the sharpest reversals on the Arabian Peninsula in years.
At this point, the Yemeni government had two choices. It could hold onto its gains and consolidate its control, or it could press what seemed to be a successful offensive. "Go big or go home" was the watchword, and government forces launched offensives on several fronts.
PLC chairman Rashad al-Alimi said on September 8 that government troops had made “significant gains” in al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Taiz and Hodeidah and had regained the initiative after years of static lines. The government's Deputy Defense Minister Samir al-Sabri declared that “the decision has been made to retake Sanaa.”
#Yemen’s Deputy Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Sameer Al-Sabri: “The decision has been made to retake Sana’a [from the Houthis]. There are surprises we will not reveal now. We will be the ones to end this war after the militia started it.” pic.twitter.com/pBARXTbAi3— Ali Al-Sakani | علي السكني (@Alsakaniali) September 7, 2026
#Yemen’s Deputy Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Sameer Al-Sabri: “The decision has been made to retake Sana’a [from the Houthis]. There are surprises we will not reveal now. We will be the ones to end this war after the militia started it.”
It is too early to declare victory, because none of the combatants, on either side, are noted for martial prowess. That said, regional media are reporting that the Houthis are nearly in a state of collapse. (Translation provided by X.)
🚨🇾🇪 عاجل| انهيارات واسعة لمليشيا الحوثي المدعومة من ايران
شاهدوا عناصر المليشيا يفرون من المواقع وتتصادم الآليات التابعة لهم لحظة الفرار.
الضغط العسكري على الأرض الذي تقوم به القوات المسلحة اليمنية في جبهة الخنجر بمحافظة الجوف، يجبر مليشيا الحوثي المدعومة من إيران على الهروب… pic.twitter.com/m3Q2JA1mti— 🇸🇦Abdulsalam Saleh (@abdulslam2017) September 8, 2026
BREAKING | Widespread Collapses of the Iran-Backed Houthi Militia
Watch as militia elements flee from positions and their vehicles collide at the moment of escape.
The ground military pressure exerted by the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Dagger Front in Al-Jawf Governorate is forcing the Iran-backed Houthi militia to flee, with vehicles carrying the fleeing elements crashing into each other.
It's very clear that this is the beginning of the end 🔚 that the group has started to experience—when the front turns into an escape route, the battle turns into the beginning of the end.
Tuesday, my colleague Becca Lower reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted that Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure may get a U.S. response;Rubio Remarks on Houthis Battling Saudi Arabia, Yemen Just Add to a Bad Day for Iran – RedState,
Some observations.
The government offensive shows a brilliance unseen in the Yemen conflict. As one X observer notes, it looks like another similar offensive in a different war.
There has been enough time since the 40-day war with Iran for another "Operation Storm" by the Trump Administration.
In fact, a _lack of leaks_ would be confirmation of that option being used given senior DoW officials guerilla 'war of leaks' against Iran policy through the US… pic.twitter.com/74hT9AndmM— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) September 7, 2026
This is the hallmark of a long planned military operation coming together.
I am reminded very strongly of how the Clinton Administration used Military Professional Resources Incorporated (MPRI) in 1995's Operation Storm destruction of the Serbian statelet in Bosnia.
There has been enough time since the 40-day war with Iran for another "Operation Storm" by the Trump Administration.
In fact, a _lack of leaks_ would be confirmation of that option being used given senior DoW officials guerilla 'war of leaks' against Iran policy through the US media.
As I said above, you'd have to be something of a twit to predict a government victory based on what has happened in the last month. However, there is no doubt that the government offensive has stopped the Houthi attempt to gain control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea shipping. This also sends a broader message to Iranian proxies. The IRGC regime is quite willing to burn down its proxy armies if it thinks it might give it an advantage. Iran encouraged Hezbollah attacks against Israel. This has resulted in the destruction of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon; see IDF Wipes Out Hezbollah-IRGC Underground Bunker Complex After Iran’s Latest Empty 'Red Line' – RedState. It has thrown its proxies in Iran to the wolves. Now it is ruthlessly tossing the Houthis into the struggle.
This "martyrdom for thee, but not for me" attitude will be noticed throughout the region.
I think this offensive could succeed precisely because the Houthis no longer have access to Iranian arms and money. In contrast, the Saudis and UAE have had a near-death experience with their oil trade and will not be willing to go through that again.
When the smoke clears, if the IRGC remains in power, it will have discredited itself with its proxy armies, deprived itself of the leverage provided by the Strait of Hormuz, and shown itself to be a reckless and rather incompetent ally.
