Shattered Illusions: Houthi Missile Barrages Drag Yemen Back into Active Warfare

For those who briefly entertained the notion that Yemen’s grinding conflict had permanently settled into a manageable freeze, the weekend provided a stark correction. The Houthis have abruptly ended the relative quiet that had largely prevailed since April 2022, swapping the diplomatic waiting game for a renewed barrage of ballistic missiles and weaponised drones. The targets of choice were the coastal city of al-Makha and the inland stronghold of Marib, proving once again that the rebel group's ambitions for absolute territorial control remain entirely intact.

The overnight offensive was both calculated and lethal. In Marib, a barrage of six ballistic missiles and four drones rained down on residential neighbourhoods on Saturday evening. Local government media reported that the strikes left four individuals wounded while causing substantial damage to civilian infrastructure and private homes. Meanwhile, the Red Sea port city of al-Makha suffered its own wave of assaults on Sunday. Projectiles struck the city's outskirts as well as a primary thoroughfare. Across these coordinated attacks, state media and local airport authorities confirmed a toll of four dead and eight injured.

The economic disruption is already tangible. Al-Makha’s port operations had to be suspended following consecutive days of bombardment, effectively choking off a vital maritime artery according to the facility's director general. The internationally recognised Yemeni government, entirely unwilling to absorb these blows passively, launched a massive retaliatory campaign. Military officials reported executing 181 distinct operations against Houthi positions across various governorates over Saturday and Sunday. While the government claims to have killed and wounded dozens of rebel fighters, the Houthis themselves have only acknowledged four fatalities, characteristically withholding any operational details regarding their demise.

This sudden spike in violence does not emerge from a vacuum. It follows a devastating Houthi strike earlier this month on military encampments in Marib and Hadramout, which left at least 30 government soldiers dead—the most lethal single incident the conflict has seen in years. The Houthis, who have comfortably occupied the capital of Sanaa and vast swaths of the country since September 2014, appear determined to shatter the fragile status quo. Active combat has now aggressively resumed across multiple provinces, including Taiz, al-Dhalea, and al-Jawf. The twelve-year war is far from a relic of the past; it is merely entering its next destructive phase, driven by an insurgent force that clearly views military escalation as its most effective negotiating tool.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com