Yemeni government forces intensified airstrikes on Houthi positions, fortifications, and reinforcements in Taiz Governorate in southwestern Yemen on Tuesday, as fighting continued on several fronts. The forces said they had retaken positions in the south and west of the governorate, shot down two drones, and captured several members of the group near Bab al-Mandab. The Taiz Military Axis, affiliated with the Yemeni armed forces, said warplanes carried out five airstrikes on Houthi positions, gatherings, and vehicles on the Al-Ahkoum front in Hayfan District, southeast of the governorate. It said military sources indicated that the strikes targeted reinforcements heading toward the Hayfan and Al-Subaiha fronts. In western Taiz, fighting continued in the areas of Al-Anin, Bani Bakari, Jurdad, and Al-Kadaha amid Houthi attempts to infiltrate and launch attacks. The Taiz Military Axis announced that two drones had been shot down, one over Mount Jurdad in the southwest of the governorate and the other on the Al-Kadaha front. It said the latter was carrying a mortar shell before reaching its target. Field sources reported that government forces had retaken positions and hilltops on the southern and western fronts in Taiz, including positions around Kahboub near Bab al-Mandab, following heavy clashes with the Houthis. The sources said the Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces had retaken several key strategic hilltops in Kahboub after the group had seized them in recent days. Government forces also announced that they had captured seven Houthi fighters on the Al-Saqiya coast, south of Bab al-Mandab, and seized a military vehicle belonging to the group. On the western Jurdad Bani Omar front, located between the districts of Al-Wazi'iyah and Al-Shamayatain, sources said government forces had repelled a Houthi attack and forced the attackers to withdraw. Al-Wazi'iyah also came under airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in the areas of Al-Dharifa and Al-Mashjab, as clashes continued in several contact zones. Military sources said the strikes inflicted losses on the group and thwarted attempts to reinforce its positions and advance along the front. On the Kahboub front overlooking Bab al-Mandab, the Southern Giants Brigades announced the capture of a Houthi commander and one of his escorts. It also said it had carried out strikes that destroyed vehicles and targeted Houthi gatherings in Kahboub and Al-Wazi'iyah. Casualties The battlefield developments came amid reports of heavy casualties over the past two days. Agence France-Presse, citing military sources from both sides, reported that at least 154 people had been killed in fighting across several Yemeni governorates. Houthi-affiliated military sources said 118 people had been killed in airstrikes, clashes, and artillery shelling in Taiz, Al-Jawf, Marib, and Saada, most of them in Taiz. Government military sources, meanwhile, reported that 36 military personnel had been killed during two days of fighting, most of them on the southern and western fronts in Taiz. Field sources also reported the death of Houthi commander Mohammed Abdullah Saad Jallafa Al-Aweer, known as Abu Malik Al-Aweer, along with several of his escorts, during clashes around Mount Jurdad in Al-Wazi'iyah District. Fighting Spreads The clashes are not confined to Taiz and the area around Bab al-Mandab. Shelling and fighting continued on several other fronts. In Marib, clashes continued in Harib, Al-Jubah, Al-Kassarah, and Al-Mashjah, with no change in the balance of territorial control. In Al-Jawf, government forces announced airstrikes on Houthi positions in Rahoub and Salbah in Barat Al-Anan District, as well as positions in Al-Marashi and Al-Dhahir. Government forces also announced that they had targeted Houthi fighters and equipment in Al-Bayda and shot down a drone in Shabwa. In a separate development, Yemen's Ministry of Human Rights condemned a missile attack on a popular market in Al-Hajf in Al-Mudharabah wa Ras Al-Arah District of Lahj Governorate, saying the attack wounded several civilians and damaged property and vehicles. The ministry said the market was hit Monday by two ballistic missiles that landed about an hour apart. It said preliminary information regarding the timing and trajectory indicated that, according to its assessment, the missiles were launched from areas under Houthi control in Al-Sabrah District of Ibb Governorate. The ministry said it was continuing to collect information and verify the extent of the casualties and damage. In Al-Subaiha, Chief of Staff and Acting Commander of the Nation's Shield Forces Major General Abdul Rahman Saleh Al-Lahji said the forces remained firmly positioned on the front, stressing that the area would not become a route for the Houthis to return to Aden. He called for continued fighting and steadfastness in confronting the group. The latest developments follow clashes in recent days across the highlands between western Taiz and northern Lahj. Fighting has focused on mountainous positions in Al-Shamayatain, Jabal Habashi, Al-Wazi'iyah, and Kahboub, amid reciprocal attempts to consolidate positions and control the high ground overlooking the coastal routes and Bab al-Mandab. Government forces had previously announced that they had retaken positions and thwarted Houthi attacks and infiltration attempts on several of these fronts.
