• Heavy fighting between Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthi militia in western Yemen has forced hundreds of families to flee, with civilians killed in a missile strike.
• Government forces regained positions in Taiz and Hodeidah, while 57 families were displaced in Hodeidah and 917 families in Taiz, prompting an urgent appeal for humanitarian aid.
• The current escalation marks the largest since a ceasefire was announced in April 2022, with around 50 Houthi fighters killed or wounded and no official casualty figures released for government forces.

Heavy fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Iran-backed Houthi militia continued in western Yemen on Friday, forcing hundreds of families to flee.

Witnesses told dpa that heavy weapons and artillery were being used as clashes escalated across several fronts in the provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah.

Government forces regained several positions in Taiz, including parts of the strategically located Mount al-Numan, according to witnesses and the military.

In Hodeidah, 57 families comprising around 400 people were displaced after shelling hit populated areas, according to the local authority responsible for displacement camps.

A separate government statement said another 917 families had been displaced by fighting in Taiz and appealed to humanitarian organizations to urgently provide shelter, water and food.

The fighting erupted after heavy Houthi attacks on government positions in Taiz on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to advance towards Yemen's western coast.

The current escalation is considered the largest since a ceasefire was announced in April 2022.

Civilians killed in missile strike

Civilians were also killed and wounded on Friday when a Houthi missile struck a restaurant in the Al-Mokha Junction in Taiz, witnesses told dpa.

Hospitals in the city of Mokha received a number of people wounded in the attack, while searches continued for people reported missing at the site, according to the witnesses. No precise casualty figures were immediately available.

Around 50 Houthi fighters have been killed or wounded in the clashes, state news agency Saba reported on Friday, citing the military.

No breakdown of the number of dead and wounded was provided, nor were any casualty figures released for government forces.

But a military source told dpa that dozens of fighters on both sides had been killed or wounded since the fighting began on Thursday, with several others captured by government forces.

The Yemeni military also released video footage that it said showed the bodies of Houthi fighters killed as well as captured fighters. The Houthis have so far made no statement about their reported losses.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been fighting Yemen's Saudi-backed government for more than a decade. The 2022 truce had left the conflict largely frozen, with no major fighting but also little prospect of an end to the war.

The conflict has flared up again amid the wider war involving Iran.