South24 Center (Aden)

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More than 213 people were killed or wounded in security and military incidents monitored by South24 Center across Yemen between August 21 and September 4, 2026, as fighting between the Houthi militia and opposing forces intensified across several fronts and peaked in western Taiz and along the western coast.

The monitoring recorded at least 162 people killed and 51 wounded, based on the minimum publicly reported figures. The Houthis accounted for more than 118 casualties, including more than 84 killed and more than 34 wounded. Government forces and their allies recorded 69 casualties, including 67 killed and two wounded.

Southern and security forces recorded 10 casualties—two killed and eight wounded—while civilian casualties stood at 15, including eight killed and seven wounded. One ISIS figure was also killed during the monitoring period.

Friday, September 4, marked the deadliest point of the two-week period. Sources from both sides told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that more than 120 people had been killed since Thursday in fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Taiz and Hodeidah. A Yemeni military official put government forces’ deaths at 66, while sources close to the Houthis said at least 62 fighters had been killed.

Overall, South24 Center documented 84 security and military events during the 15 days, including 66 military incidents and 18 security incidents. Military events accounted for about 79% of the total.

Al-Dhalea and Taiz recorded the highest number of events, with 15 each, followed by Lahj with 10 and Hadramout with nine. Drones were the most frequently recorded means of attack, alongside artillery shelling, clashes, ballistic missiles, and maritime operations.

Southern Forces Fronts

The fronts in Al-Dhalea, Lahj, and Yafa remained among the most consistently active, with repeated Houthi drone attacks, shelling, and exchanges of fire with Southern forces.

In Al-Dhalea, Houthi drones and mortar fire repeatedly targeted the Al-Fakher, Al-Thawkhub, and Muris fronts. On August 23, two Nation Shield Forces soldiers and a Somali civilian were wounded by a Houthi mortar round in Muris, while two other civilians were wounded in a drone attack on the Muris-Damt road.

On the Lahj-Al-Bayda border, the Southern Giants Forces said they struck Houthi barracks with drones after detecting new military positions and reinforcements. Clashes also broke out on the Al-Qurayn front in Al-Musaymir, while Southern forces said they intercepted Houthi drones west of Aden.

On August 25, the Houthis fired more than 50 mortar and artillery rounds at the Al-Fakher fronts and surrounding villages, wounding a Southern forces soldier. A 12-year-old boy was killed the same day by shrapnel from a Houthi mortar round in Ahamah, Al-Musaymir.

Fighting continued in Al-Qurayn and on the Al-Bayda border front. On August 29, a Southern forces soldier was killed by Houthi sniper fire on the Al-Had front in Yafa.

Yafa saw the heaviest Southern and security-force losses on August 31, when two Houthi drones fired seven projectiles at the Al-Sirr checkpoint, killing one National Security Forces member and wounding seven others. Southern forces responded with a drone strike on a Houthi vehicle.

In Muris, Southern forces struck Houthi positions in response to shelling of residential areas. On September 2, the First Division of the Nation Shield Forces also announced a drone strike on Houthi fighters there, its first publicly announced aerial attack against the group in the area.

Alongside the military developments, Aden and Mukalla witnessed large rallies on September 1 marking the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Southern Army.

In Mukalla, heightened security measures restricted participants from reaching the gathering outside the governor’s palace. South24 Center documented security forces opening fire to disperse protesters at Shibam Roundabout. The Southern Transitional Council in Hadramout also said security forces attempted to detain women participating in a separate gathering, causing several to faint.

Western Taiz: Peak of Escalation

Taiz became the main flashpoint at the end of the monitoring period.

On August 24, a government-aligned soldier was killed in fighting with the Houthis on the Hadharan front west of Taiz. Two days later, clashes on the Kalabah front killed eight Houthi fighters and wounded 15 others.

The fighting escalated sharply on September 3. The Houthi militia targeted the western coast with 14 ballistic missiles and a drone, while government-aligned forces said air defenses intercepted several of them. Fierce clashes erupted across western coast fronts, and the Houthis also targeted Al-Wazi’iyah Bridge with a ballistic missile.

Government-aligned forces said they destroyed three Houthi vehicles on the Al-Barh front and downed three drones in Jabal Habashi.

The Maqbanah and Al-Kadha fronts saw particularly intense fighting after the Houthis seized positions in Al-Ghayli, Al-Sawda, and Al-Tuwair. Government forces launched a counterattack and said they recaptured positions in Mawza’ district. An initial government tally put Houthi losses at 50 killed or wounded.

The Houthis also advanced from Maqbanah toward Jabal Habashi, taking positions in Hamrah, Al-Qawz Al-Asfal, Al-Rahbah, and Jabal Nu’man, which overlooks supply and movement routes linking western Taiz with the western coast. The advance displaced several hundred families, according to the Executive Unit for IDP Camp Management.

By September 4, the death toll from fighting since Thursday had risen to more than 120, including 66 government troops and at least 62 Houthi fighters.

Red Sea and Hodeidah

The Red Sea and western coast also witnessed repeated Houthi attacks and counter-operations.

On August 22, the National Resistance Forces said they destroyed a Houthi explosive-laden boat in Bab Al-Mandab and found a Houthi mine in the strait.

On August 25, the force said more than 14 Houthi fighters were killed and more than 19 wounded in strikes south of Hodeidah.

Six fishermen were killed and 12 boats destroyed in a Houthi attack near Hanish Island on August 28, according to the National Resistance Forces. Three days later, Yemeni Coast Guard forces confronted four Houthi suicide boats approaching Hanish and Zuqar islands.

On September 3, the National Resistance Forces destroyed another explosive-laden boat targeting Al-Mokha Port as clashes widened across the western coast.

South24 Center’s monitoring shows that the escalation followed two main tracks: near-continuous confrontations with Southern forces in Al-Dhalea, Lahj, and Yafa, and a broader, significantly deadlier escalation in Taiz and along the western coast during the final days of the period.

The events also highlight the expanding use of drones, artillery, ballistic missiles, and explosive-laden boats across Yemen’s land and coastal battlefronts.

You can now explore the interactive map of the events below: