War, latest news. Yemen: government forces have lost 500 soldiers in a month

Yemeni government forces have lost more than 500 soldiers in a month of fighting with Houthi rebels on the western coast of the Red Sea. This was reported by the Yemeni National Resistance Forces.

“More than 500 of our fighters have been killed and around 1,500 wounded during fierce fighting with the Ansar Allah (Houthi) during military operations on the western coast of Yemen between 9 August and 10 September”, they stated on their Telegram channel.

The Yemeni military claimed to have held off the offensive for almost three weeks, after the Ansar Allah movement had deployed substantial reinforcements and contingents to the front line.

The day before, Hezam al-Asad, a member of the political bureau of the Ansar Allah movement, which governs northern Yemen, had stated that Houthi forces had extended their control to all the towns near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the western coast of the Red Sea.

Questa immagine, tratta da un video senza data diffuso sabato 12 settembre 2026 dall’Ufficio Stampa di Ansar Allah, il braccio mediatico dei ribelli Houthi dello Yemen, mostra combattenti Houthi che ispezionano quella che il gruppo definisce una postazione abbandonata durante la loro avanzata contro le forze sostenute dall’Arabia Saudita in una località non specificata nel sud dello Yemen. (Ufficio stampa di Ansar Allah tramite AP)

Houthi-affiliated Sanaa Almasirah TV reported two air strikes and artillery fire in three districts of the Yemeni province of Saada, which borders Saudi Arabia and is a stronghold of pro-Iranian anti-government fighters. “Saudi aircraft carried out two air strikes against the districts of Sahar and Baqim,” the broadcaster reported, adding that just minutes earlier it had reported “artillery fire” in the border district of Monabbih.

epa13235108 Soldati Houthi pattugliano Sana'a, nello Yemen, il 12 settembre 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Speaking remotely at a conference on security in Ukraine, Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to US President Donald Trump, stated that the US administration had exploited Israel’s “global isolation” following last year’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha to help secure a ceasefire and hostage deal with the armed group that governs Gaza.

“Israel carried out the attack in Doha, which was a terrible thing. The military operation failed, and this led to Israel being isolated on the global stage. We took advantage of this situation to push them towards reaching an agreement which they are now quite pleased to have concluded,” said Kushner, “But in the end it turned out to be positive for them and positive for the people of Gaza.”

The Iranian issue will be resolved “after the mid-term elections”, scheduled for November. Donald Trump made the remarks whilst speaking to the media at his golf club in Doonbeg, Ireland. “Iran desperately wants a deal and keeps calling,” he added.

France and Lebanon are pressing for the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon to be extended beyond the end of the year. This was reported by the Financial Times, whilst Israel opposes the continuation of the UN peacekeeping mission and continues to control territories in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah rejects calls for disarmament.

According to the Financial Times, Lebanon has in recent days informed the United Nations Security Council that ending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon on 31 December would be “premature” and has requested that the current agreement be extended for a limited period.

The Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, held a telephone conversation with the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, during which he reiterated Islamabad’s condemnation of the Houthi attacks. “I reiterated Pakistan’s firm condemnation of the recent Houthi raids on civilian and economic infrastructure in the Kingdom and expressed our full solidarity with the Saudi leadership and our Saudi brothers and sisters,” Sharif wrote on X.

According to the Prime Minister, such attacks threaten regional stability and could have repercussions far beyond the Middle East. “Such reckless actions threaten the peace and stability of the region, with serious consequences for the global economy and energy security,” he said, praising the Saudi Crown Prince’s leadership in “these difficult times”.

“I couldn’t care less.” That was how US President Donald Trump responded to the news of the meeting scheduled for tomorrow in Oman between Iran and the Gulf states. “It’s their business,” he added, responding to journalists who asked him questions whilst the tycoon was watching a golf tournament in Ireland.

On the subject of the war in the Middle East, the US President reiterated what he had said yesterday, namely that he expects the conflict with Iran to end by the end of the year, perhaps immediately after the mid-term elections scheduled for November in the United States, leading to a fall in oil prices. ‘The war with Iran will end shortly afterwards, perhaps even sooner, but it will end shortly after the mid-term elections. The price of petrol will plummet.’

Saudi Arabia will run out of its oil stocks intended for export unless it restores operations within a few days on its main oil pipeline to the Red Sea (which was hit in recent days by drones from Iraq), resulting in a loss of up to 4 per cent of global supply, according to buyers of Saudi oil and industry sources. Reuters reports this on its website. A further reduction in Saudi oil flows will exacerbate the global supply shortage, which has already pushed fuel prices to record highs, fuelled inflation worldwide and pushed US government bond yields to their highest levels since the 2008 financial crisis.

Since the drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut down its massive east-west oil pipeline on Friday, Riyadh has not provided detailed information on the extent of the damage or how long it will remain out of service. Sources who spoke to Reuters have given differing estimates: one stated that the damage could take between five and six weeks to repair, whilst another said the pipeline could be restored sooner and might resume partial pumping even whilst repair work is still underway. Over the past six months, the pipeline crossing the Arabian Peninsula’s desert has spared Saudi Arabia much of the impact of the war-induced closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has paralysed exports from neighbouring countries. The world’s largest exporter has used the pipeline to divert around 4 million barrels a day – equivalent to around 4 per cent of global supply – to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea.

Russia sees a risk of a significant escalation of the situation in Yemen and believes it is necessary to stabilise the situation in the country. This was stated by the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.

“At present, the situation is highly unstable and carries the risk of a significant escalation. The most important thing now is to stabilise the situation,” said Peskov.

According to a report in the New York Times, in early July, a group of ‘hawks’ within the Iranian armed forces launched attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz without the consent of Iranian leaders, let alone the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, effectively bringing an end to peace efforts between Iran and the United States. The New York Times, citing anonymous Iranian officials, describes in detail how Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was taken by surprise by the attack. At that point, Pezeshkian reportedly made a phone call described as ‘furious’ to the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Ahmad Vahidi, who reportedly replied that he had not authorised the attacks nor had he been aware of them in advance. The Supreme National Security Council was also reportedly unaware of the attacks. According to the sources, the incident is said to have triggered some of the most bitter disputes amongst Iranian leaders in recent years, with several of them reportedly threatening to resign. According to the American newspaper, this hardline faction is led by the cleric Hossein Taeb, who was recently appointed head of the Basij militia and is a former head of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence service.

The Israeli army has carried out further air strikes near the al-Dabsha hill in southern Lebanon. This was reported by the Lebanese National News Agency, which added that the IDF struck the area on the outskirts of the Nabatieh district twice in less than 30 minutes.

Yemeni government forces are attempting to recapture territory near the city of Mocha from the Houthis, through air raids, after Saudi fighter jets bombed several areas that had fallen under the control of the Ansar Allah rebels, including the central and northern provinces of the country, in an attempt to prevent further Houthi advances. Government-controlled areas, such as Madhab, are a stronghold and are considered the economic hub of Yemen. Whoever controls them controls the country’s revenue. So far, the Houthis have failed to capture the city. However, clashes have been reported on the outskirts of Madhab, north-east of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. Meanwhile, in the south of the country, attacks have taken place against Houthi military positions in Taiz. The Yemeni group’s strategy is to operate covertly, seizing territory, setting up underground bunkers and then evacuating the area to avoid Saudi air raids.

The latest military developments along Yemen’s western coast deserve to be viewed from a broader perspective than one strictly linked to the country’s internal conflict. Mokha is not merely a Yemeni port city. Nor is Bab el-Mandeb simply a strait situated at the southern end of the Red Sea. What is happening today in this area directly affects the security of the shipping routes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, the operation of the Suez Canal, Egypt’s economic interests, Europe’s energy security and, inevitably, Italia too. Following days of fighting in the provinces of Hodeida and Taiz, Houthi forces have extended their presence southwards, as far as Mokha, whilst government forces and their allies have redeployed part of their units to the area of Dhubab, even closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The very latest reports indicate that Houthi troops are on the outskirts of Dhubab itself. Setting aside military interpretations and the accounts provided by the parties involved, the strategically significant fact is clear: the centre of gravity of the Yemeni conflict is shifting towards one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors.

According to reports from the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, as cited by Al Jazeera, an Iranian merchant vessel was rammed near Hengam Island and off the coast of Shib Deraz, on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in one death and three injuries. This was stated by the governor of Qeshm, Hossein Amir Teymouri. At present, the origin of the attack has not been specified nor has anyone claimed responsibility for it.

The crisis in the Gulf is escalating, with Riyadh forced to temporarily shut down the key East-West oil pipeline following a drone attack originating from Iraq – a safe haven for pro-Tehran militias that form part of the Iranian ‘Axis of Resistance’. Just like the Houthis in Yemen. No one has claimed responsibility for the raid, which caused a number of injuries and damage that is still being assessed. However, Donald Trump, who had flown to Ireland for a golf tournament at one of his resorts, has already pointed the finger at the Ayatollahs, stating that Iran is likely responsible for the attack.

The tycoon also reiterated that the war in Iran will end after the mid-term elections, when oil prices will plummet, and hinted that he will not intervene against the Yemeni rebels despite their capture of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important routes for the transport of oil from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.

The Houthis have captured the strategic island of Mayyun, also known as Perim Island, thereby consolidating their control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Yemeni rebels have also seized US-made military equipment worth millions of dollars.

A pregnant woman has died from injuries sustained after being shot by Israeli forces three days ago in the south of Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. According to data from UN Women cited by the same source, as reported by Al Jazeera, the war in Gaza has killed more than 38,000 women and girls, whilst a further 11,000 have suffered injuries that will result in permanent disabilities. Meanwhile, according to medical sources, the number of miscarriages in the Strip is on the rise.

In the face of the daily toll of deaths and injuries, the words of the President of the United States ring hollow: Donald Trump: ‘We’ve put out the fire and brought all the hostages back. Very little is happening in Gaza at the moment,’ Trump said whilst speaking to journalists in Ireland. ‘It’s incredible. The parents of the hostages who died knew they were dead. They wanted their sons or daughters back, and in the end we brought them all home,” he added. “If you look at Gaza, a lot of good relationships are being forged right now. I think we’ve done a brilliant job,” concluded Trump, describing US efforts in the Strip as “extraordinary”.

More than 1,400 people have fled from Yemen to Djibouti in just 24 hours. This is according to local authorities, whilst Houthi forces were tightening their grip on the Red Sea coast and the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Djibouti’s Minister for the Economy and Finance, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, revealed the figure in a post on X, writing that the refugees had arrived “from Yemen in just 24 hours”. The influx of migrants further exacerbates the displacement crisis in Yemen, where, according to the United Nations, at least 76,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since July – a figure that has quadrupled in the last week due to the resumption of fighting. Houthi fighters, who are allied with Iran and already control a significant portion of northern Yemen, including the capital Sana’a and the western city of Hodeida, have advanced rapidly along the country’s coastline in recent days.

Houthi fighters said today that they had used drones and missiles to attack a military base in southern Saudi Arabia, whilst the resumption of clashes with Yemeni government forces has forced a growing number of civilians to flee. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated on X that the attack on the southern base of Sharurah targeted “weapons depots and command and control centres managing the aggression against our nation and our people”. The date of the operation was not specified. Clashes have intensified this week between the Houthis, who are allied with Iran, and Yemeni government forces, backed by Riyadh.