Deadly Yemen battles put the Red Sea’s energy gateway in focus

Dozens of fighters have been killed in a single day around Yemen’s Taiz, where battles between the Houthis and government forces are unfolding near a waterway vital to global energy flows. Africanews, citing sources on both sides who spoke to AFP on Friday, reported about 80 combatant deaths over the previous 24 hours. The fighting also threatens civilians in a region where control of the highlands, coast and roads remains at stake.

Houthi military sources put losses among anti-government fighters at at least 55. Government sources separately reported 26 deaths among their troops. Those figures amount to at least 81 killed, slightly above the rounded toll in the report. They describe a costly day on opposing sides of a battle that extends across several fronts around Taiz, rather than a single clash inside the city.

A coastal battle with wider stakes

The fighting follows a rapid offensive by the Iran-backed Houthis against Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia. According to Africanews, the Houthis took control of the entire Red Sea coast during that offensive, including the area around the Bab al-Mandab strait. That narrow sea passage matters both for Saudi energy exports and for the movement of ships carrying goods around the world.

The location gives the conflict a direct connection to a major trade route, although the report does not describe a disruption to shipping or energy deliveries. Its account centres on the land battle: fighting is taking place on several fronts, including high ground overlooking coastal areas captured by the Houthis in recent weeks. The territory being contested thus sits close to a waterway whose importance reaches well beyond Yemen.

Despite their wider territorial gains, the Houthis have not captured Taiz city. It is Yemen’s third-largest city, after Sanaa and Aden. The distinction between advances across the surrounding territory and control of the city is central to the report: the offensive has brought substantial gains, but Taiz itself remains outside Houthi control as battles continue around it.

A severed link and a civilian warning

Government sources told AFP that the Houthis destroyed a bridge on Thursday linking government-held areas with Aden, the government’s base. The report does not specify the bridge’s location or detail the consequences for transport. Its destruction nevertheless adds civilian infrastructure to the account of a conflict otherwise dominated by territorial advances and combatant losses.

The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grunberg, voiced alarm on Thursday over developments in Taiz governorate. He warned that Houthi operations carried serious dangers for civilians and called for protection of people and civilian infrastructure, alongside safe access to those needing help.

Houthi operations pose “grave risks to the civilian population”, UN envoy Hans Grunberg warned.

The next developments to watch are the battle around Taiz, control of the highlands above the coast and access to people in need. Those are the immediate challenges identified in the report, with a vital global shipping passage nearby.