Aden (South24)

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At least 13 members of Yemen’s government forces, including two officers, were killed on Thursday (September 3) in fierce clashes with the Houthi militia west of Taiz and along the West Coast, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) and military sources.

The fighting coincided with ballistic missile and drone attacks, as well as an attempted strike on Al-Mokha port using an explosive-laden boat.

AFP cited an unnamed military official as saying that 13 members of government forces were killed in the clashes. A fuller account attributed to the agency said the initial toll included two officers and that several other personnel were wounded.

A second military source said most of the casualties occurred in fighting between the coastal city of Al-Mokha and Taiz city, while others were killed in clashes near the Red Sea coast.

Military media affiliated with government-aligned forces said fighting had erupted across several West Coast fronts at dawn on Thursday, including intense clashes between forces belonging to the Taiz Military Axis and Houthi fighters on the Maqbana front.

Local sources reported that Houthi forces had taken control of the Al-Ghaili, Al-Sawda, and Al-Tuwair positions in Maqbana district. Government forces later announced a counterattack against Houthi-held positions on the Maqbana and Al-Kadha fronts west of Taiz.

Yemeni media subsequently reported that Houthi fighters had advanced toward the outskirts of Jabal Habashi district from the direction of Maqbana, taking positions in the Hamra, Al-Qouz Al-Asfal, and Al-Rahba areas.

South24 Center could not independently verify the competing battlefield claims.

#VIDEO

Circulated footage of fierce clashes between Yemeni government-backed forces and the Houthis on the Maqbana fronts, west of Taiz #south24 pic.twitter.com/jxbpTYK8CZ

— South24 | English (@South24E) September 3, 2026

In a separate statement, government-aligned forces said they had recaptured several positions in Mawza district that had fallen to the Houthis earlier in the day.

They also claimed to have killed at least 18 Houthi fighters, wounded others, and captured several members of the group in Maqbana. The forces said they had destroyed several Houthi military vehicles, killing those on board.

These casualty figures could not be independently verified.

In Al-Mokha, the National Resistance Forces said they had destroyed an explosive-laden boat that attempted to target the city’s port. Their military media said the boat was intercepted before reaching the port but provided no further details.

There was no immediate information about casualties or damage, and the Houthis had not commented on the incident at the time of publication.

Separately, local media quoted a source in the Taiz local authority as saying that the Houthis had targeted the Al-Wazi’iyah Bridge with a ballistic missile. No immediate information was available about casualties or damage.

The government-run Saba news agency also reported that government forces had shot down three Houthi drones over parts of Jabal Habashi district.

The latest escalation follows a series of Houthi missile, drone, and explosive-boat attacks on Al-Mokha and its port in August. The attacks killed civilians and military personnel and caused extensive damage to the port’s infrastructure, according to government and port officials.

On August 15, the port’s director said Al-Mokha had suspended commercial and maritime operations after being struck by more than 25 missiles in several attacks that killed seven people and caused an estimated $16 million in damage.

The escalation also follows the Houthi attack on the commercial vessel “Tihamah” near Bab el-Mandeb in August. Yemeni authorities said three ballistic missiles struck the vessel, killing six people and wounding at least nine others.

Maqbana, Mawza, and Al-Mokha lie along routes linking Taiz city with Yemen’s Red Sea coast, near Bab el-Mandeb, the strategic maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.