Yemeni Army Reports Heavy Houthi Losses During Taiz Offensive
The army’s Taiz Military Axis said government forces conducted operations across several fronts as part of the “Dawn of Yemen” campaign launched by the Yemeni government.
According to the statement, five military operations were carried out Monday in areas surrounding Taiz city. The reported locations included the Al-Arbaeen front north of the city, Al-Aqroudh to the south, Al-Anin and Jabal Habashi to the west, and Al-Bireen on the outskirts of the Al-Kadha front.
The army claimed that approximately 100 Houthi fighters were killed during the operations, while another 150 were wounded. Government forces also reported destroying or damaging six military vehicles and a tank, in addition to bringing down five drones.
Yemeni forces further said they had regained control of Jabal al-Manzara, al-Asharif and Dhiban in southern Taiz, areas that had previously been held by the Houthis.
The latest battlefield claims followed Monday’s announcement by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi that the government had launched the “Dawn of Yemen” operation.
Al-Alimi said the campaign was intended to restore state institutions, regain control of the capital, Sanaa, and end Houthi control over areas held by the group.
Government forces also announced Monday that they had retaken the Red Sea port city of Mokha and the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb area from the Houthis.
The Houthis have disputed the government’s reports of territorial gains. Military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group continued to hold its positions despite the claims made by government forces.
Saree also said Houthi forces had conducted dozens of attacks against what he described as Saudi forces in Al-Jawf and Marib provinces, as well as in Ras al-Ara and Al-Suqiya.
He claimed that more than 200 opposing fighters had been killed or wounded in those attacks. There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia or the Saudi-led coalition regarding the claims.
The latest fighting represents a renewed escalation between Yemen’s government forces and the Houthis. Clashes resumed in July after a period of relative calm that followed a UN-brokered truce that began in April 2022.
Hostilities intensified further in September as the Houthis captured several strategically important areas in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the coastal city of Mokha and Mayyun Island, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Yemen has remained locked in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several other provinces in September 2014. The takeover prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The latest offensive and competing claims over territorial control mark another major escalation in the prolonged conflict, with strategic areas along Yemen’s western coastline and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remaining central to the fighting.
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