Yemen's civil war may be escalating into a full-scale conflict. In the last 24 hours, government forces have carried out 81 attacks on Houthi positions, according to reports, as cited by infohub.kz.
Government military spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said on Thursday that a number of Houthi fighters and field commanders had been "neutralized" in the attacks. This is another sign that the situation in the country is deteriorating.
On the same day, the Houthis claimed to have carried out drone attacks on two targets in Saudi Arabia's Najran province. Military spokesman Yahya Saree said they had "successfully" hit a target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility in the province. However, Saudi Arabia has not immediately confirmed these attacks.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which supports the Houthis, warned that Saudi Arabia would be "unable to contain" the Houthis. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi infrastructure and shipping since declaring a naval blockade on the country in July.
Yemen's internationally recognized government, based in Aden, has accused the Houthis of attempting to impose a blockade on Yemen and halt oil exports. Over the past month, the government has reported carrying out hundreds of operations against the Houthis, killing many of their fighters.
Exchanges of fire and drone attacks have been reported across nearly the entire front line, but no large-scale offensive operations have yet been reported by either side. Both sides have reported carrying out missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure deep behind front lines, including ports and airports.
In 2014, the Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, leading to years of conflict between the Houthis and the government, backed by a Saudi-led international coalition. In 2022, a UN-brokered truce largely brought fighting to a halt, but Thursday's attacks suggest that a return to large-scale conflict is rapidly approaching.
According to the UN, at least 18 million people in Yemen do not have reliable access to enough food. On Monday, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk urged both sides to "spare the Yemeni people from further misery" and "halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict".
Also on Thursday, the United Kingdom's maritime security monitor reported that a tanker had been boarded off the coast of Yemen by six armed people, who diverted it towards Somalia.