The Iran-backed Houthis are battling Yemen's pro-government forces for control of the strategic Kahboub mountain range in the country's south-west, which would give the rebels a major tactical advantage if they succeed.
Stretching between the provinces of Taiz and Lahj, the mountains provide high ground overlooking areas along the Bab Al Mandeb strait and Dhubab, which the Houthis seized this month in a lightning offensive along Yemen's entire west coast.
“Back and forth battles are continuing in the rugged mountains which, geographically, aren't an area that's easy to advance in,” Yemeni risk analyst Mohammed Al Qadhi told The National.
“The Houthis are tirelessly trying to recapture these mountains to protect their back in case they need to defend their positions.”
The rebels captured the mountains in 2015, a year after they seized control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, but lost them again, as well as the port city of Mokha, during a campaign by pro-government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, on the Red Sea coast in 2017.
Recent fighting in Yemen is the most intense in the country since 2022, when a de facto truce resulted in an extended period of relative calm.
Although the current Houthi advance is similar to the one attempted more than a decade ago, Ahmad Nagi, a senior analyst on Yemen at Crisis Group, believes the rebels have changed their strategy slightly.
“They are trying to avoid the mistakes they made back then,” he told The National.” Instead of taking control of larger areas, they are trying to consolidate their control over the areas they have gained before moving into new, more exposed areas.”
The rebels' success so far does not mean they will continue to to make rapid advances should they gain control over the Kahboub mountains and push farther south, Mr Nagi said.
“Progress might be slow,” he added. “It all depends on how the government-aligned forces react and the level of Saudi air support, plus the Houthis' determination to keep fighting despite the high number of casualties.”
Despite Saudi Arabia's support, the Yemeni government has been attempting to rally more backing from its western supporters. Rashad Al Alimi, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), requested military assistance from US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Mr Trump “made no direct pledge of support during the call”, it added, citing sources.
The US President has also reportedly received calls for support from Saudi Arabia, which has faced repeated Houthi drone and missile attacks since July, after the rebels accused Riyadh of imposing a siege and announced an embargo of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK would provide Saudi Arabia with “defensive air-to-air refuelling” after a Saudi request for military support. The support will involve a Royal Air Force (RAF) Voyager from the Akrotiri military base in Cyprus, for a limited duration.
Mr Burnham said Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia were disrupting trade and energy routes, in reference to the group's strikes on ships in the Red Sea, the Bab Al Mandeb strait and on Saudi oil pipelines. “We need to keep those pathways open and hence our agreement to the request,” he said.
Renewed fighting in Yemen has displaced more than 120,000 people, mostly from Taiz and Lahj, with the figure expected to rise, the UN has said.
