In brief
On Thursday, 5 November 2026, Yemeni government forces engaged Houthi rebels with airstrikes and ground battles across several fronts, destroying missile launchers and killing 64 Houthi fighters while inflicting civilian casualties in Taiz. The clashes, part of the ongoing civil war that displaced over 250,000 people, underscore the renewed intensity of fighting that broke a period of relative calm. Key operations target Houthi positions on Mount Ba'dan, in Taiz’s outskirts, and Lahj’s Maqaterah front, with the Ministry of Defense citing 322 operations since October.
The Yemen government announced on 5 November 2026 the use of airstrikes and ground clashes against Houthi rebels on several fronts, marking a new surge in hostilities that has forced more than 250,000 people to flee their homes since the war resumed in July.
Al‑Jumhuriya TV reported an airstrike that destroyed a Houthi missile launcher on Mount Ba'dan in Ibb province, the second such strike in the province within less than 24 hours. According to the channel, the strike also targeted Houthi positions on the outskirts of the villages of al‑Sarari and Dhi al‑Barah, southeast of Mount Saber in Taiz province.
Aden TV detailed intense clashes in the Maqaterah, al‑Sawalah and al‑Zariq areas on the Lahj front. The station said airstrikes hit Houthi reinforcements in Naqil al‑Saha in Maqaterah, and that forces from the Fourth Military Region destroyed a Houthi vehicle carrying a 23 mm anti‑aircraft gun on the same front.
Aden TV further reported that dozens of Houthi fighters killed or wounded in the Maqaterah front were being taken to Khalifa Hospital in Turbah. In a separate report, the channel said eight civilians, including children, were killed or injured when a Houthi missile struck the al‑Athawir area of the Hayfan district in Taiz province.
The Yemeni armed forces said it had conducted 322 operations since the launch of the “Dawn of Yemen” campaign on 5 October, killing 64 Houthi fighters and disabling 16 military vehicles. The campaign aims to regain control of state institutions and retake the capital, Sanaa, from Houthi control.
Analysts note that fighting between government forces and the Houthis restarted in July, leading to thousands of deaths and injuries and a severe humanitarian crisis. Despite a period of relative calm from April 2022, the renewed clashes—reported by Anadolu Agency—signify a deeper escalation of the civil war that has plagued Yemen since the Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014.
The United Nations has documented that more than 250,000 people have been displaced over the past year, illustrating the desperate human toll that accompanies the ongoing military campaign. The latest reports underscore the continued volatility on the front lines and raise questions about the prospects for a lasting ceasefire in the fragile state of Yemen.
