Yemen Violence Displaces 130,000 as Civilian Toll Rises

Escalating violence in Yemen has struck displacement camps and health facilities, killing civilians and worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis, United Nations agencies said Thursday.

Fighting between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthis has intensified along several former front lines, marking one of the sharpest escalations since a 2022 truce largely froze Yemen’s civil war. The renewed clashes come amid broader regional tensions linked to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Violence has intensified around Taiz and along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, where Houthi forces have pushed south. More than 130,000 people have been displaced, with some Yemenis crossing the Red Sea toward Africa.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said his office documented three Houthi attacks on internally displaced persons’ sites in the Marib region on August 7, September 7 and September 9. The incidents caused dozens of casualties and killed five children.

Since August, the UN human rights office has recorded 32 civilian deaths, including 15 children and three women, from fighting, drone attacks and missile strikes. At least 125 people have been killed or wounded overall, although officials warned the actual toll could be higher because insecurity has restricted access.

The World Health Organization also reported direct attacks on health facilities. An ambulance driver and a medic were killed in Lahj on September 18, although the agency did not identify those responsible.

Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam rejected the UN allegations and accused Saudi forces of attacking civilian infrastructure. Saudi officials have repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians.

The worsening conflict is placing additional pressure on Yemen’s overstretched humanitarian system. About 18 million people, roughly half the population, already face acute food insecurity.

WHO is increasing deliveries of blood bags, trauma supplies and surgical kits while deploying emergency medical teams. However, funding remains critically limited, with a UN refugee agency response plan for Yemen less than 20% funded before the latest escalation drove humanitarian needs even higher.