Intensifying Fighting on Yemen’s Red Sea Coast Leaves Over 500 Troops Dead

Yemen’s state‑run military released figures on Sunday showing that the ongoing confrontation with Houthi rebels along the Red Sea coastline has resulted in the deaths of more than five hundred soldiers and injuries to approximately 1,500 others. The casualties occurred during a month‑long series of engagements that began on 9 August and ended on 10 September, a timeframe that coincided with a swift Houthi advance toward the Bab‑al‑Mandab strait.

According to the National Resistance Forces, the same period also saw the deaths of over a thousand Houthi combatants and thousands of additional injuries, although independent verification is lacking.

The hostilities erupted when Houthi fighters launched missiles, drones and explosive‑laden boats against government positions, rapidly extending the conflict from Hodeidah’s southern Red Sea sector into neighbouring Taiz province. By 3 September, the rebels had seized several government‑controlled districts in both Hodeidah and Taiz and captured the strategic port city of Mokha.

Subsequent advances took the Houthi forces southward into the Bab‑al‑Mandab region, where they seized Mayun Island, securing a critical maritime choke point that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The push continued into the Lahij governorate, bringing the fighting ever closer to Aden, the internationally recognised capital. In a related episode, a Houthi official disclosed that the militants liberated 210 prisoners after overrunning a prison in Mokha.