Yemen fighting leaves 838 dead as Houthi offensive intensifies

More than 800 people have been killed and thousands wounded or displaced since fighting between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government resumed in recent months, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

In a statement published on September 28, the WHO said 838 people had been killed and more than 3,000 injured since early August, when clashes erupted following four years of relative calm. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, the organization said, The New York Times reports.

The renewed violence has also displaced tens of thousands of people, further straining Yemen’s already severe humanitarian situation. The WHO said hospitals are seeing trauma cases displace maternal health patients, while displaced families face increased risks of diseases such as cholera amid limited access to clean water.

The latest escalation follows a period of fragile calm established by a 2022 truce. Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of the country’s northwest. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates subsequently intervened militarily in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia had increased in recent months. The Houthis accused Riyadh of conducting airstrikes in Yemen, allegations that Saudi officials have largely not acknowledged. Fighting has since spread across several front lines as Houthi forces battle factions aligned with the Yemeni government.

In July, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing. The group subsequently announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, which had become an alternative route for Saudi oil exports during the wider regional conflict, and launched missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis also launched a major ground offensive this month and seized control of parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast. According to the National Resistance Forces, a faction aligned with the Yemeni government, at least 500 government fighters were killed and more than 1,500 wounded in the fighting. The Houthis have not released their own casualty figures.

The escalation has further complicated Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, with the WHO warning that continued fighting is placing additional pressure on the country’s health system and displaced communities.

By Vafa Guliyeva