Yemen death toll crosses 300 as government forces clash with Houthis over Red Sea gateway

The death toll from intense clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels has surpassed 300, with fighting centered on a strategic Red Sea gateway in the country's southwest.

Between midday Saturday and early Sunday morning alone, 84 government troops died, most in missile attacks, according to two military officials with the Saudi-backed forces. Four Houthi military sources reported 57 rebel fighters killed during the same timeframe.

Deadliest escalation in two years

The battle for control of the Red Sea access point marks the most lethal outbreak of violence in Yemen since a 2022 ceasefire unraveled in July. The two sides have been fighting for days.

Families abandon homes as violence spreads

Hundreds of families have fled their homes to escape the fighting. Residents from Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi in Taiz governorate sought safety at Al-Bareen camp for the internally displaced on Saturday.

Agence France-Presse journalists witnessed more displaced people arriving at another camp in the area on Sunday, carrying mattresses, livestock and other belongings as they erected shelters.

"The shooting came at us from above and from below," said Rawdhah Hasan, who was forced to leave Maqbanah.

The current fighting pits Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi-backed government forces in a conflict that continues to displace civilians and claim lives across Yemen's Arabian Peninsula territory.

Source: South China Morning Post