Yemeni Forces Carry Out 71 Operations Against Houthis in Taiz, Army Says

Yemen’s armed forces said Saturday they had carried out 71 targeted operations against Houthi gatherings, military positions and reinforcements across several areas of Taiz province, according to Arab News.

The forces said the operations hit Houthi movements and military build-ups across the province, destroying transport and support vehicles and disrupting the group’s ability to continue its operations.

A Yemeni military commander in Jabal Han told Al Arabiya English that Houthi fighters had repeatedly tried to infiltrate and seize the strategic mountain in an effort to besiege Taiz city. “We broke the Houthi attempts to control Jabal Han in order to besiege the city of Taiz,” the commander said, adding that clashes continued through the night.

Yemeni warplanes also carried out new airstrikes on Houthi positions and reinforcements on the Haifan and Rasen fronts south of Taiz, according to the reports.

The armed forces said they took control of Samah Fort in southeastern Taiz after fierce clashes, backed by popular resistance fighters from Samah district, the Yemeni news agency Saba reported.

Separately, the forces said their warplanes struck Houthi targets in the capital Sanaa, with eyewitnesses reporting heavy explosions and columns of smoke rising over the city.

The escalation follows heightened tensions after Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of targeting an electricity station in Madinah late last month, amid wider plans reported by Reuters for a Saudi-backed offensive against the group in Yemen.

Sources

Arab News — Yemeni forces launch 71 operations against Houthis in Taiz

Centreline — Yemeni forces conduct 71 operations against Houthis in Taiz