Yemen’s Taiz governorate has raised its readiness to counter threats from the Houthi militia as the group intensifies its movements across the province's western, northern, and southern fronts in an attempt to achieve field breakthroughs. These advances aim to tighten the siege on Taiz city and its liberated countryside, while threatening supply lines connecting the city to its western rural areas. The mobilization coincided with fierce battles fought by government forces across several locations, during which they managed to recapture positions that the Houthis had infiltrated in the western part of the governorate. Government troops also advanced toward new areas, while airstrikes targeted Houthi positions, reinforcements, and vehicles across multiple fronts. The group has been attempting, since the start of the escalation in early September, to exploit the widening scope of confrontations along the western coast, southern Hodeidah, and western Taiz. These maneuvers aim to redraw the lines of contact around the governorate, allowing the militia to pressure Taiz city from several directions and sever supply and movement routes leading to the coastal areas. During the past few hours, government forces announced the recapture of positions overlooking the Jurdad area in al-Shamayatayn district, as well as an advance toward the Ghail Bani Omar region. These developments followed clashes with Houthi fighters who had infiltrated several locations in the western part of the governorate. Official military sources said that government forces managed to seize Houthi military equipment during the operations, while inflicting casualties among Houthi ranks. The government also intensified airstrikes on Houthi positions and movements in various parts of the governorate. According to military sources, the strikes targeted military vehicles and gatherings in the districts of Dhubab, al-Waziyah, and Hayfan, as well as a gathering of militants in the Al-Afeerah area of Jabal Habashi district, killing at least ten militants and destroying several vehicles and a medium-weapons ammunition cache. Meanwhile, the local authority in Taiz moved to mobilize the internal front to counter the escalation. Governor of Taiz Nabil Shamsan met with sheikhs, notables, dignitaries, and social figures in the al-Shamayatayn, as part of efforts to strengthen internal cohesion and unify the local stance behind government forces. Shamsan stressed that Taiz will continue to stand firm against the Houthis, praising the role the governorate has played during the years of war in preserving state institutions, as well as the Saudi support provided to the government and the Yemeni people in confronting the group. The Human Rights Ministry said 150 civilians have been killed and over 200 wounded between September 3 and 13 since the escalation intensified. Some 85,000 have been displaced.
