The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced a new advance in the province of Taiz on October 11, saying they had driven Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces out of al-Masrakh district.
A military source told the Houthi-run Saba news agency that Saudi-backed forces had been expelled from the district in southern Taiz.
The claim followed reports earlier in the day that government-aligned forces had retaken the district center after Houthi fighters entered it. Asharq News, citing field sources, also reported clashes around the nearby al-Aqroudh front as government forces sought to recover lost positions.
Separately, Houthi military media released footage showing what the group described as the repulsion of Saudi-backed reinforcements advancing from Lahj toward the al-Wazi’iyah highlands in western Taiz.
The Houthis said their fighters had cleared the remaining parts of Wadi Sharira and the surrounding mountains and hills toward al-Shamaytayn, along the southwestern edge of the province.
The footage showed close-range clashes, with fighters moving into opposing positions and using machine guns and mortars. The Houthis said they had captured members of the advancing forces and seized weapons and military vehicles, which they claimed were subsequently used against their opponents.
The latest developments point to a worsening position for Saudi-backed forces across Taiz. Local authorities have warned that the Houthis are tightening their siege of the city and turning access roads into front lines.
Saudi-backed forces have announced local counterattacks but have yet to demonstrate a coordinated effort capable of reversing the Houthi advances across the province.
In addition, Saudi airstrikes have failed to halt the Houthi advance. With pressure mounting around Taiz city, the Houthis retain the initiative across the province.
Following the attack on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the usual suspects emerged from the social media muck to condemn Ansarallah. “These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now,” demanded Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
Bibi Netanyahu, “on behalf of the people of Israel,” condemned the attack and declared the Zionist state “looks forward to a strong Middle East—one that stands united against threats, protects its people, and builds a future of security, cooperation, and prosperity for all the peoples of our region,” never mind the 200,000-680,000 people of the region he butchered over the last three years.
Kaja Kallas, the former president of Estonia and current High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, denounced the airport attack. “The Houthi attack on Riyadh’s international airport is an appalling act of terror. There can be no justification for indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure,” she said.
Kallas, like most European leaders, insists Israel has a “right to defend itself” against Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and yet “self-defense” is not a legitimate response for the people of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, all victims of Israeli and US aggression.
António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is “deeply shocked” by the Yemeni retaliation, and criticized the attack on the Saudi airport as a violation of international law.
If Guterres is concerned about international law and the bombing of civilian infrastructure, why hasn’t the UN invoked Chapter VII of the UN Charter in regard to Gaza? “The UN’s member states collectively have a bad track record when it comes to preventing genocide,” writes Sean Matthews. “In the case of genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, the UN only declared officially that genocides took place after the fact.”
G7 foreign ministers also weighed in on the attack, declaring the response to Saudi attacks poses an “unacceptable threat to regional stability and security, to global energy security,” as well as to security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In June, during a globalist conclave in Évian, the G7 issued a dilatory statement calling for an acceleration of “humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and the swift implementation of relevant political and security measures” in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, while knowing full well Zionist Israel will ignore international law and continue to murder and starve Palestinians while ethnically cleansing the Shi’a in southern Lebanon.
The official censure by the United States, the EU, UN, and G7, as well as the skewed reportage of the corporate media, overlooks the reason why Ansarallah is bombing Saudi airports and oil infrastructure.
Forgotten, or ignored, are the crimes of the Saudi coalition during and after the Yemen War of 2015. The coalition included the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Sudan.
The Sunni coalition attacked after President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi fled house arrest into exile in Saudi Arabia. Hadi, who died earlier this year, stood accused of secretly working with al-Islah, described as the Muslim Brotherhood’s Yemeni branch. The former president was also accused of being a Saudi puppet. Saudi Arabia views Ansarallah—followers of the Shi’a branch of Zaydism—as a threat to its national security.
A detailed United Nations report estimated approximately 377,000 deaths by the end of 2021 from the Saudi-led campaign. This total includes direct losses from combat and indirect deaths linked to malnutrition, disease, and the decline of health care and essential services.
The United States was involved in the Yemen humanitarian crisis. US personnel provided logistical support, information, training, and advisers after the Saudi-led intervention. US tankers refueled coalition aircraft, increasing their range over Yemen. Saudi forces relied heavily on US-supplied aircraft, munitions, spare parts, maintenance, and technical support.
Jeff Bachman, a professor and genocide scholar at the School of Information Services, said during an interview with the American University in Washington that the Saudi-led coalition has been able to engage violence against Yemenis thanks to the complicit material and political support of the United States.
UN Security Council Resolution 2216 established a UN arms embargo. The restrictions implemented delayed or curtailed commercial imports and humanitarian shipments of food, fuel, medicines, and medical supplies. Because Yemen is dependent on imports, disruptions to port and airport operations rapidly worsened hunger, health-system strain, water and sanitation breakdowns, and prices, according to Human Rights Watch.
“The Saudi-led coalition’s military strategy in Yemen has been increasingly built around preventing desperately needed aid and essential goods from reaching civilians, risking millions of lives,” said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. “The Security Council should urgently sanction Saudi and other coalition leaders responsible for blocking food, fuel, and medicine, causing hunger, sickness, and death.”
During a full closure in November 2017, UN agencies noted that aircraft and ships delivering aid could not secure clearance, while commercial cargo encountered major hurdles. Human Rights Watch stated that the coalition had maintained a naval and air blockade since March 2015, with restrictions producing a disproportionate impact on civilians in direct violation of international law.
Yemen remains one of the world’s most serious humanitarian emergencies. As of 2026, more than 22 million people need assistance or protection and 18.3 million people are acutely food insecure. Malnutrition levels remain critically high, with over 2.2 million children under five acutely malnourished, including 516,157 suffering from malnutrition, according to the United Nations. “Even before the latest escalation, an estimated 12.2 million children in Yemen needed humanitarian assistance,” UNICEF reported in September.
Article 51 of the UN Charter is a determining provision that addresses the right of self-defense for member states. It represents an exception to the general prohibition on the use of force outlined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which mandates that all member states refrain from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, as the Saudis did in 2015 in Yemen.
On October 10, following the Ansarallah attacks, Trump announced the US may rejoin the latest Saudi onslaught on Yemen. “We’re going to look at it,” he told reporters. “We just found out about the recent attack. We will make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Prior to Trump’s announcement, Democrat Ro Khanna, who was detained during a visit to Israel in July, introduced a joint Yemen War Powers Resolution along with Republican Representative Thomas Massie on October 9. The resolution directs “the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Houthis in Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.”
Congress is unable to decide whether to rejoin the Saudi effort to destroy Ansarallah and maintain the illegal war on the people of Yemen. In addition to debate on the constitutional legality of the Trump administration’s military assistance to the Saudis without a congressional consultation, members of Congress are concerned about the continued slaughter of civilians and the ongoing humanitarian crisis, considered one of the worst in the world, with around 24 million people, or nearly 80% of the population, needing assistance and protection.
Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, continued attacks against the King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, a day after one of its strikes on the facility killed 13 civilians. The Saudi aviation authority said that the 13 dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian, […]
The Yemeni army (Ansar Allah) advanced on the western outskirts of Taiz city, cutting a supply route and encircling Saudi-backed forces in Al-Misrakh and Najd Qasim;
Saudi airstrikes killed a woman in Same’a district, and Saudi-backed shelling killed a girl in Sabr al-Mawadim district, Taiz province;
More than 170 Saudi-backed forces from the Sabiha tribes were killed and 700 others were injured during the clashes with Ansar Allah;
The Yemeni retaliatory missile strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport allegedly killed 12 people and injured more than 300.
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced on October 11 that they had launched missile and drone attacks against Saudi airports and two Aramco energy facilities, claiming the operations disrupted air traffic and triggered fires at the targeted sites.
In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group had carried out four operations over the previous 24 hours using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
The attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in three separate waves, the Shuqdam gas facility and Tanajib oil facility in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to the spokesman.
Strikes hit Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport both October 10 and October 11. Saudi authorities said an attack on October 10 killed 12 people and wounded more than 300, prompting the airport’s closure.
The Saudi-led coalition also said an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 of the airport on October 11, causing a fire, while air defenses intercepted a cruise missile nearby.
Separately, the coalition reported that a projectile landed close to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on October 10.
Saree said the strike on the Shuqdam gas facility caused large fires, while the attack on the Tanajib oil facility also sparked a fire.
Fires were detected at both targeted energy facilities, although the extent of the damage and any impact on production were not immediately clear.
The spokesman also said Houthi forces attacked Saudi-backed troop concentrations in the areas of Ras al-Ara and al-Saqiya close to Bab al-Mandab with six ballistic missiles and two drones. He claimed the strikes killed and wounded dozens of personnel.
Saree added that Houthi forces had engaged Saudi military aircraft with domestically produced surface-to-air missiles, forcing them to withdraw. He did not specify how many aircraft were involved or provide further details of the engagement.
The announcement came as Saudi Arabia intensified its air campaign in Yemen. Saree said Saudi forces had carried out 124 airstrikes over the preceding 24 hours across Sanaa and the provinces of Taiz, Marib, al-Jawf, Hajjah, Hodeidah and Saada.
The spokesman put the total number of Saudi airstrikes at 2,058 since the latest escalation began, and accused Saudi forces of causing heavy civilian casualties, particularly among women and children.
Saree warned airlines, international companies, airport workers and travelers against using Saudi airports, declaring them unsafe except for airports and airspace in Mecca and Medina.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to escalate their operations against the Saudi interior,” he said, pledging to maintain what he called the equation of “blockade for blockade” and “escalation for escalation” until Saudi military operations against Yemen stop and the blockade is lifted.
The latest attacks indicate that Houthi strikes are becoming more accurate, with confirmed impacts at Riyadh’s airport on consecutive days and fires detected at two targeted energy facilities.
This adds to the challenge facing Saudi Arabia, which has so far also failed to help its allies in Yemen organize an effective counterattack against the Houthis.
Saudi airstrikes in Yemen killed at least 66 civilians, including eight children, and wounded 90 throughout September, according to the Yemen Data Project (YDP), as the war has significantly escalated since it was reignited by Saudi airstrikes on the Sanaa International Airport in July. The deadliest single incident for civilians was the September 7 bombing […]
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) advanced into several areas southwest of Taiz on October 11, extending their positions along a contested corridor south of the city as fighting continued against Saudi-backed government forces.
The advance brought Houthi fighters into al-Maqhaiyah, Suq al-Maqhaiyah and al-Sayahi, as well as parts of Wadi al-Dhabab.
Clashes were also reported around Karbah Hill and Jabal al-Kamil, where control of the surrounding high ground remains contested.
The fighting cut the road linking Taiz with al-Misrakh to the south, disrupting supply routes to government-aligned forces on the al-Misrakh and Najd al-Qasim fronts. An alternative route through Jabal Sabr remained open, but the longer journey and difficult terrain complicated supply deliveries to troops in the area.
Click to see full-size map.
The latest Houthi advance came amid intense Saudi strikes in Taiz. The strikes targeted al-Maqrami, al-Jaasha and al-Sallal hills east of the city, as well as Hisn al-Mukhaf and the Bala’an area to the south.
On the western coast, Saudi-backed forces continued their counteroffensive toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait but failed to make any gains. Mayyun Island, located in the strait, remained under Houthi control.
The Saudi-backed Southern Giants Brigades said they had repelled a Houthi attack north of Dhubab Airport near the strait on October 10. The force said Saudi strikes had hit Houthi reinforcements during the fighting. The airport is one of the few positions where the force has managed to establish a strong presence.
The Southern Giants Brigades nevertheless suffered heavy losses during the fighting. Sky News Arabia reported, citing Yemeni sources, that 55 of its fighters had been killed in clashes with the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab.
Overall, the Houthis continued to hold the initiative on both fronts, advancing southwest of Taiz while keeping the Saudi-backed counteroffensive near Bab al-Mandab at a standstill.
Yemeni Armed Forces reiterated on Sunday a warning to airlines, aviation personnel, airport workers, and travelers against using Saudi airports and airspace, declaring them potential targets and a theater of military operations, with the exception of airports in Mecca and Medina.
In a statement, Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree urged all concerned parties to take the warning seriously, holding Saudi Arabia responsible for any attempts to intercept Yemeni operations.
The Yemeni Armed Forces reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing the strategy previously announced as “an airport for an airport, a blockade for a blockade, and escalation for escalation,” vowing to continue until their objectives are achieved.
Earlier on Saturday, Member of Yemen’s Ansarullah Politburo Mohammad Al-Bakhiti warned that Saudi regime plots to target holy sites in Mecca and Medina and to blame Yemen for attacks.
In exclusive remarks to Al-Manar on Friday, Al-Bakhiti revealed that Riyadh had supplied Saudi-backed mercenaries in Yemen with missiles and drones to carry out attacks and blame them on Yemeni Armed Forces.
Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) released two videos on October 10 showing attacks on Saudi-backed forces near the country’s southwestern coast and claiming the group had secured additional territory in Taiz province.
The first video, published by the Houthis’ military media, showed recent strikes with “Shawaz” first-person suicide quadcopters.
The strikes targeted military vehicles and gatherings of Saudi-backed fighters at several locations in the Kahbub Mountains and al-Waziyah district along the far southern end of Yemen’s southwestern coast.
A second video, released separately, showed Houthi fighters advancing in the districts of Sama, As Silw and al-Mawasit in Taiz.
The footage also showed groups of Saudi-backed fighters surrendering to the Houthis and laying down their weapons in line with a general amnesty announced the previous month by Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council.
The three districts lie in the rural south and southeast of Taiz city, on a front distinct from the fighting along the Red Sea coast. Their reported capture comes amid the Houthis’ wider advance around Taiz, where the group has managed to cut the city off from other government-held areas.
Al Jazeera reported on October 10 that the capture of al-Turbah by October 4 had severed the main road linking Taiz city with government-held territory.
The coastal footage appeared amid continued fighting over access to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi-backed forces said on October 9 that they had retaken the strait’s surrounding coastal areas and Mayyun Island, which lies within the waterway. Ansar Allah military spokesman Yahya Saree, however, said the group had repelled an advance from Lahj province and claimed more than 22 armored vehicles had been destroyed.
All in all, the Houthis maintain the upper hand both in Bab al-Mandab and in Taiz. Saudi-backed forces appear to be taking heavy losses, and their chances of regaining the initiative are getting slimmer by the day.
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