Since 2014, the Iran-backed armed group Ansar Allah (commonly referred to as the Houthi rebels), has been engaged in conflict with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government. In 2022, a UN-brokered ceasefire led to a break in the conflict that began to unravel as Ansar Allah, a political and religious group from northern Yemen that asserts itself as part of the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” against the West, began to conduct missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabian infrastructure. Since August, a wave of new attacks by Ansar Allah has killed and wounded at least 125 civilians through ground fighting, artillery fire, and airstrikes. 

The renewed hostilities have caused damage to civilian infrastructure, limited civilian access to essential services, and the displacement of more than 120,000 people. The UN Human Rights Office has documented 32 civilian fatalities, including three women and 15 children, since the beginning of August. In the past week, the Yemeni government army has used warplanes, drones, missiles, artillery, and snipers to execute 97 precision-targeting operations against Ansar Allah reinforcements in southwestern Yemen, while Ansar Allah claimed to have fired ballistic missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia. On 5 October 2026, Yemen’s internationally recognized government announced Operation Dawn of Yemen, a military initiative aimed at ultimately retaking areas of the country controlled by Ansar Allah. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the collapse of the four-year truce in July. 

The United Kingdom has stated that it will provide defensive support to Saudi Arabia, including air-to-air refuelling for Saudi Arabian fighter jets. Turkiye and Pakistan have also agreed to initiate deterrence measures under their mutual defence pact. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has denounced the growing toll on civilians arising from the deepening conflict in Yemen and called on all parties involved to enable and facilitate necessary humanitarian relief for civilians. The World Food Programme has stated that three in four families are going hungry due to the surge of aggression on both sides, which has disrupted supplies to millions and contributed to a rapidly deteriorating food security situation. 

By Megan Xing