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Houthis Battle for Strategic Yemen Heights as Displacement Soars — AI-generated representative image: Displaced Yemeni families arrive at a makeshift camp amid fighting in the mountainous Taiz region.

Editorial Team

Fighting over the Kahboub Mountains near the Red Sea intensifies as casualties mount and the US weighs direct strikes.

Houthi rebels are battling Saudi-backed government forces for control of the strategic Kahboub Mountains near the Red Sea, as the conflict's toll rises to at least 674 killed and more than 158,000 displaced since early August. The clashes on Monday came as Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi accused the United States of weighing direct military involvement in the conflict.

The renewed fighting has escalated a humanitarian crisis in a country where roughly half the population, more than 18 million people, already faces acute food insecurity. The battle for the Kahboub heights carries strategic significance because the area overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Mayyun Island, positions that could allow the Houthis to sever the Red Sea coast from the remaining government-held south.

Key Developments on the Battlefield

The Houthis, who seized Yemen's Red Sea coast this month including the port of Mocha, are now pushing to take the Kahboub Mountains in Taiz and Lahj provinces. Securing the heights would allow the group to protect its rear after capturing Mayyun Island.

Yemeni government forces said they struck Houthi fighters and supply lines near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and in al-Bayda governorate, and shot down a Houthi drone in southwestern Taiz. Major-General Abdulaziz al-Majidi, chief of staff of the Taiz military force, told the state-run Saba news agency that soldiers and allied tribal fighters liberated several areas on the outskirts of Taiz.

The Houthis reported that Saudi Arabia carried out at least 157 air attacks in al-Jawf, Taiz, Saada and Marib provinces on Monday, killing at least one civilian. A separate attack in Mocha late Monday killed six civilians, including two children and a woman, according to Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV.

US Strike Plans and Regional Tensions

The fighting comes amid media reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly pressed Washington to join the conflict. The Houthis on Saturday claimed an attack on the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for the first time since the recent escalation, though Washington has so far rebuffed Riyadh's requests.

The New York Times reported on Monday that the Trump administration had prepared to launch air attacks on Sunday against the Houthis after fresh pleas from Riyadh, only for President Donald Trump to call them off at the last minute, even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft. Analysts said the reported reversal reflected the administration's reluctance to take on a new military commitment in a region where US forces are already stretched thin.

Casualty Figures and Humanitarian Impact

The World Health Organization said 674 people had been killed and almost 3,000 injured since August 6, including 164 deaths and 516 injuries between September 13 and 18 alone. Yemen's Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons Camps reported that roughly 23,550 families had fled their homes across eight governorates, including Aden, Hodeidah and Taiz.

Carl Skau, acting executive director of the World Food Programme, said tens of thousands of people are arriving in overstretched camps with nothing. He noted that Yemen imports 90 percent of its food, meaning disruptions to ports and airports directly affect food security. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that continued fighting risked further damage to Yemen, and said UN special envoy Hans Grundberg remained in contact with all parties to the conflict.

What Lies Ahead

The Kahboub Mountains remain the main battlefield and are expected to stay contested in the coming days given the area's strategic importance and its oversight of Mayyun Island. Saudi Arabia has not yet commented on the reported air attacks, and battlefield claims from both sides could not be independently verified. The UN special envoy remains engaged with all parties as displacement and hunger continue to worsen.