The Houthis announced retaliatory operations in response to airstrikes in Marib, Wadi Dhana and Al-Balaq.
SANAA/MARIB, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 19th Sep, 2026) Clashes have been reported between forces loyal to Yemen’s exiled government and Houthi fighters on several fronts, including Marib, while sources linked to the Yemeni army claimed advances in some areas and said Houthi fighters had been forced to retreat.
According to military sources, government forces made some gains during fighting on the Al-Mashjah front, west of Marib city, and targeted several Houthi vehicles.
However, the claims could not immediately be independently verified in full.
Clashes were also reported on Marib’s southern front, including Wadi Dhana and Al-Balaq, where government forces claimed to have halted alleged Houthi infiltration attempts with artillery fire.
Airstrikes were also reported. Military sources said alleged Houthi reinforcements and gatherings were targeted in the Um Rish area and at former 26th Brigade camps in Al-Jubah, as well as in the Aqaba Mala’a area near Harib.
No independently verified details were immediately available regarding casualties or material losses from the strikes.
Meanwhile, Yemeni forces and fighters affiliated with local tribes claimed to have captured several key positions on the Al-Aghbara front in the Al-Subaiha area of Lahij, including Jabal Al-Bazala, Al-Dhahura and Al-Saybara.
Military sources said intense fighting continued in these areas for several hours and that Houthi forces suffered losses in personnel and military equipment. However, no independent and reliable figures were immediately available on deaths, injuries or equipment losses.
Fighting was also reported on the fronts of Bab Al-Mandab, Al-Mudhariba and Al-Wazi’iyah in southwestern Yemen.
Bab Al-Mandab is an important maritime passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, so increased military activity around it could raise concerns about the safety of commercial vessels and maritime traffic.
However, it would be premature to describe the current clashes as a complete closure of the passage.
The regional significance of Bab Al-Mandab is also heightened because large volumes of goods are transported between Asia, the middle East and Europe through the Red Sea.
If the security situation deteriorates further, shipping companies may consider additional security measures or alternative routes, potentially increasing travel times and costs.
The latest fighting in Yemen comes as political and military tensions, which have continued in various parts of the country for several years, appear to be intensifying again.
Intermittent fighting has continued between government forces and the Houthis on some fronts in Marib and southern Yemen, while both sides have continued to claim battlefield successes. Most available information about the latest clashes comes from military or party-affiliated sources, so the full picture of the situation on the ground, changes in control and casualties remains unclear.
Meanwhile, a Houthi spokesperson said the group would respond to airstrikes in Marib, Wadi Dhana and Al-Balaq.
Although the spokesperson did not name any country, Yemen’s exiled forces receive Saudi air support. An Arab broadcaster also reported positive progress in the Muscat talks and said Saudi representatives could potentially participate in the next round of talks with the United States.
Experts said the intensity of military activity around Marib, Lahij and Bab Al-Mandab in the coming days will be an important indication of whether the latest clashes remain limited operations or mark the beginning of a broader military phase in Yemen’s conflict.
Meanwhile, the London-based Arab affairs organisation Middle East Eye said forces loyal to the exiled government were struggling to retake extensive areas from which the Houthis had expelled them several days earlier.
The report said there was no one challenging the Houthis in Bab Al-Mandab, key islands and the long Red Sea coastline.
Citing the British maritime security organisation and other international bodies, Middle East Eye said maritime traffic in the Red Sea had remained almost non-existent for at least three days, as shipping companies were avoiding entering the Red Sea through Bab Al-Mandab or the Gulf of Aden because of the threat of Houthi attacks.
