Fighting in Yemen is intensifying as government-aligned forces launch counterattacks against the Houthis, whom Al Jazeera describes as Iran-backed, with battles reported around the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The escalation threatens one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, raising concerns for shipping and regional security. Details on casualties, territorial control and the scale of operations were not provided in the source material.

Yemeni government officials report that 50 Houthi fighters were killed during renewed clashes in southern Hodeidah, where the Houthis launched a surprise offensive targeting army barracks.

Houthi rebels in Yemen accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out an airstrike on a prison in the northern city of Hazm in Jawf province, killing seven people, including a child, according to the group. The strike on the Central Corrective Facility reportedly wounded at least seven others, including a woman. The accusation comes amid escalating tensions between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.

At least 15 Yemeni government troops were killed in recent fighting in Hodeidah, according to a Yemeni minister, who also reported that more than 50 Houthi fighters lost their lives in the clashes.

A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have wounded 73 civilians. According to the official, the Houthis targeted civilian sites in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. The statement, reported by Al Jazeera, attributes the casualty figures and the claims about the locations struck to the coalition spokesperson, and no independent confirmation of the figures was provided in the report.

The Sudanese army has intensified its offensive to retake the strategic city of Kurmuk, located on the border with Ethiopia. This military action follows months of operations in Sudan's Blue Nile region, which escalated after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militia, the SPLM-N, captured Kurmuk in March 2026. There are growing concerns about the potential spillover of the conflict into neighboring Ethiopia.