Yemen fighting intensifies as government forces counterattack Houthis

Fighting has intensified in western Yemen as government-aligned forces launch counterattacks against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, officially known as Ansar Allah, around Hodeidah and Taiz. Dozens of people, including civilians, were reported killed on Saturday as the Houthis pushed across several fronts before government forces sent reinforcements and launched their own air strikes. The fighting has also forced families to flee their homes around Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi, with some arriving at displacement camps with few belongings. Yemen has remained divided since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and expanded their control across much of the north and west. A truce in 2022 reduced violence but failed to produce a lasting peace. The latest fighting is centred on a strategically important corridor leading towards the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a major global shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. With both sides reinforcing their positions, fears are growing that the renewed offensive could trigger a wider escalation.

Al Jazeera's Aksel Zaimovic reports.

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