Has Yemen returned to ‘full-scale war’?

Yemen has entered its worst fighting in years after a period of relative calm. The internationally recognised government is conducting a military offensive against the Houthis, who control Sanaa and parts of northern and western Yemen. UN envoy Hans Grundberg said the country has effectively returned to “full-scale war.”

Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are advancing toward Houthi-held areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The government announced “Dawn of Yemen,” an operation intended to retake remaining Houthi territory, including Sanaa. Fighting is also taking place around Mocha, Dubhab, and Taiz.

The renewed battles have caused major civilian harm. The United Nations reports at least 46 civilian deaths and more than 130 injuries since August. The IOM says over 200,000 people have been displaced since September. The fighting could further destabilise the region and threaten shipping through the Red Sea.

Calling Yemen’s situation “full-scale war” means the conflict has moved far beyond isolated clashes. Large military operations are underway, several fronts are active, and both sides are using powerful weapons. The phrase also reflects the collapse of the relative quiet created by the 2022 ceasefire.

Government forces have announced thousands of precision strikes and a campaign to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory. The Houthis have launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia. Battles are raging near Mocha, Dubhab, and Taiz, while airstrikes have hit Sanaa. These actions show a conflict spreading across land, cities, and a vital sea route.

The human cost makes the description especially serious. At least 46 civilians have been killed and more than 130 injured since August. More than 200,000 people have been displaced since September. Yemen now faces a renewed civil war and wider regional instability.

The renewed fighting has already produced a severe humanitarian toll. United Nations figures cited in the article record at least 46 civilian deaths and more than 130 civilian injuries since August. Many of those affected are children, showing that the violence is reaching ordinary communities, not only military positions.

Displacement has also risen sharply. The UN’s migration agency, the IOM, reports that more than 200,000 people have been forced from their homes since fighting escalated in September. People are fleeing battles across several fronts, including areas around the Red Sea coast, Sanaa, and Taiz.

These figures show why the conflict is described as a return to civil war. The fighting is not only a military contest over territory and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. It is also creating widespread civilian suffering and increasing pressure on communities already affected by years of war. Further offensives could push displacement and casualties higher.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait matters because it is a narrow maritime gateway at the entrance to the Red Sea. Ships use the route to move into and out of the Red Sea, making it a vital trading chokepoint. The article describes it as an important alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have nearly halted shipping.

That importance makes the strait a military objective. Government forces are advancing toward the coastal cities of Mocha and Dubhab to regain control of the area. The Houthis have claimed control of the shipping lanes and declared a blockade on ships linked to Saudi Arabia. Both sides therefore connect battlefield gains with pressure on maritime traffic.

Disruption around Bab al-Mandeb could affect global shipping and Saudi oil exports. Riyadh has increasingly relied on the route amid the closure of Hormuz. Fighting there also gives the Yemen conflict consequences beyond the country’s borders and could deepen regional instability.

Yemen’s original civil war began in 2014, after dissatisfaction with the ruling government and a revolution three years earlier. The Houthis seized Sanaa and imposed their own government in the capital. Their takeover divided the country, with the Houthis controlling much of the north and the Yemeni government controlling southern regions.

A Saudi-backed coalition of armed forces and local groups then launched military operations. It restored the internationally recognised government in Aden, but the fighting caused between 150,000 and 227,000 deaths and displaced millions. The conflict continued for years and deeply divided Yemen.

The UN-brokered truce in 2022 created a period of relative quiet and reduced active fighting. That calm did not settle the underlying power struggle. The renewed offensive, airstrikes, missile attacks, and battles around strategic cities now threaten to return Yemen to civil war on a large scale.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are an armed group that controls Sanaa and parts of northern and western Yemen. They seized the capital in 2014 and have developed advanced weapons, including ballistic missiles. They are now fighting to preserve their territory and have attacked Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government is leading the current offensive. Saudi-backed forces launched “Dawn of Yemen” to retake remaining Houthi-held territory, including Sanaa, and to secure the Bab al-Mandeb area. Saudi Arabia supports the government militarily and has also faced Houthi attacks on its territory.

Iran backs the Houthis, according to the article, making Yemen part of a wider regional confrontation. Analysts viewed the Houthi blockade of Saudi-linked ships as a way to give Iran more leverage during negotiations with the United States. These overlapping roles make a local power struggle harder to resolve.

A maritime chokepoint is a narrow sea passage that concentrates shipping into one strategically important route. Because many vessels must pass through it, control of the passage can give whoever holds nearby territory unusual influence over trade. The passage does not need to be closed completely to create pressure; threats, inspections, attacks, or blockades can make shipping riskier.

The Bab al-Mandeb illustrates this mechanism. It sits at the entrance to the Red Sea, and ships use it to travel into and out of that waterway. The Houthis declared a blockade on ships linked to Saudi Arabia, while government forces are fighting to regain nearby areas around Mocha and Dubhab.

Control therefore has consequences beyond Yemen’s battlefield. It can affect global shipping and Saudi oil exports, especially because the article describes Bab al-Mandeb as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Both sides claim control of the shipping lanes, raising the risk of further disruption.