Over 70 killed in Taiz fighting as Yemen's rivals trade airstrike claims

More than 70 people have been killed in fierce fighting in Yemen's Taiz province, as the Houthi group and government forces trade claims over air and missile strikes, according to figures reported on October 2-3, 2026.

Government-side casualties include more than 20 soldiers and nearly 10 allied fighters killed. A medical source put Houthi deaths at more than 40 fighters. The government's side separately claimed that 1,540 Houthi fighters had been killed or wounded. These figures come from the parties and a medical source and have not been independently verified.

The fighting has included close-range combat in Taiz, in southwestern Yemen, and in rural areas stretching toward the Red Sea coast. Both sides also reported strikes and drone activity elsewhere, including in Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait region and the provinces of Sanaa, Saada, Hajjah, Amran and Ibb.

The competing claims are sharply different. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said Saudi-led coalition aircraft carried out 94 strikes in the past 24 hours, and that 1,350 strikes have been launched since the escalation began. Government forces spokesperson Majid al-Nuzaili cited 474 strikes and said 216 pieces of military equipment had been destroyed or disabled. Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the coalition intercepted three Houthi ballistic missiles.

The escalation follows Houthi gains in September. The group captured Mocha on September 10 and Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, on September 11. Both positions are close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

The Gulf dimension is direct. The coalition is led by Saudi Arabia, a fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member of Qatar. The strait is also a key corridor for shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.