Yemen reports 133 operations as 2022 truce weakens

Yemen’s internationally recognized government said its forces carried out 133 military operations against the Houthi armed group in the past 24 hours, describing the tempo as evidence that the informal truce in place since 2022 is fraying.

Officials said fighting has expanded across multiple fronts in recent weeks, with clashes reported in Marib, al-Jawf, Hadramout, Hodeidah, Taiz, al-Dhale and Lahj. They presented the latest update as reflecting coordinated activity in several provinces rather than a single, isolated flare-up.

Military update cites activity across several provinces

Officials said the 133-operations figure was posted on Officials said the 133-operations figure was posted on X by Yemen army spokesperson Colonel Majed al-Nuzaili and incorporated into the government’s account of developments over the last day. The government said the reported operations covered a broad set of engagements and movements, including areas away from the coast. They also linked the escalation to a cycle of strikes and counterstrikes centered on the Red Sea port of al-Makha (Mocha) in Taiz province, near the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Officials highlighted the location’s proximity to major maritime routes while emphasizing that the reported violence was not limited to coastal areas. Al-Makha claims intersect with wider Red Sea tensions Officials said the government’s offensive followed a claim by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree that Houthis attacked “a Saudi-led coalition landing ship and four accompanying warships” near al-Makha. The government said this claim fits into the broader pattern of escalation around the port area.

Colonel Majed

Separately, officials said the Houthis—who control large parts of northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa—have carried out strikes beyond Yemen’s borders. The account in the source material included attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping.

Timeline: late June mobilization through August 6 operation Officials said mobilization began in late June as regional tensions rose after a United States-Iran war, with both the government and the Houthis moving fighters into position. They also tied the current cycle to a July strike that officials said the government conducted on Sanaa airport to prevent a plane from Iran from landing.

According to officials, the Houthis then declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and initiated a general mobilization. They added that government forces carried out what they described as a preemptive operation on August 6 against Houthi weapons-smuggling routes, which they said was followed by the heaviest Houthi bombardment in years.

Integration efforts and warnings of renewed war

Officials said the government is working to integrate various factions under the Ministry of Defence, a step they said could change command arrangements and the composition of front-line units. They reported clashes in Marib and Hadramout along the line of contact, and said Houthi missiles and drones struck inside government-held areas.

Officials also said Marib hosts more than two million displaced people, adding humanitarian pressure to the security situation. The United Nations has warned Yemen faces its highest risk of returning to war since the 2022 truce, officials said.

In the near term, a central uncertainty is whether the reported naval blockade and continued operations around al-Makha increase pressure on Red Sea shipping lanes, including traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb strait.