Fighting escalated across several fronts in Yemen on Monday as the government-aligned Nation Shield Forces announced a large-scale offensive against Houthi positions in Lahj province, while government troops and local resistance fighters continued to repel attacks in Taiz, where the Houthis reportedly targeted civilians and an ambulance. The Nation Shield Forces said units from the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Brigades of the First Division launched a major surprise assault on Houthi positions and fortifications along the Al-Muhawalah front in Al-Mudaribah and Ras Al-Arah district. According to a statement issued by the forces, dozens of Houthi militants were killed or wounded in the attack, while others fled their positions, leaving the bodies of their dead scattered across ravines and valleys. Government forces also announced that the Nation Shield Forces had seized control of the Kahbub front near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and released footage they said showed their troops deployed across mountainous positions in the area. The Fourth Military Region separately released footage of a strike against a Houthi military vehicle on the Al-Maqatirah front in Lahj province, saying it had been carrying field supplies and equipment. In Taiz province, government forces said they were continuing to engage and repel Houthi attacks with support from the Popular Resistance, targeting the group's movements and firing positions along several fronts. Military sources reported clashes across multiple areas of the province, while civilians were killed or wounded by Houthi fire in separate incidents. Civilians Targeted in Taiz Two civilians were killed and a third wounded on Sunday when Houthi fire struck an ambulance transporting an injured man along a main road in the Al-Awat area, west of Al-Shaqab in Sabr Al-Mawadim district, southeast of Taiz city, according to Yemen's official SABA news agency. The attack killed the wounded man being transported and his father, while injuring a member of the ambulance crew. The Joint Medical Emergency Committee in Taiz condemned the targeting of ambulances and medical personnel, saying preliminary information indicated that another ambulance had also come under fire in the same area. The incident marked the third attack on ambulances in Taiz since the latest round of fighting began. The committee warned that repeated attacks threatened rescue and medical evacuation operations and endangered the lives of civilians and wounded people. It called on the United Nations, the international community and the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene to protect medical personnel and ensure the safe passage of ambulances. Nine other civilians, including two children and two women, were wounded in shelling, gunfire and sniper attacks across several areas, including Al-Najadah in Sabr Al-Mawadim district; Al-Matar Al-Qadeem, Al-Arous, Wadi Al-Bir and Qahmah in Mishra and Hadnan district; and Qahfat Al-Saram in the Al-Aqrood area, southeast of the province. According to SABA, the injuries were caused by gunfire and artillery shrapnel. A civilian vehicle also came under fire from a Houthi sniper in Al-Najadah village, leaving two women wounded by shrapnel. Meanwhile, local sources in Taiz's Al-Shamayatayn district reported the arrival of around 30 members of the Houthis' female security units, known as the Zainabiyat, in Al-Turbah and several surrounding villages and population centers. The movement raised concerns among residents that the group was preparing to carry out raids on homes. Observers linked the deployments to ongoing fighting in the neighboring Al-Maqatirah and Al-Mudaribah districts of Lahj province, amid Houthi fears of coordination between government forces and their supporters and Popular Resistance members in districts recently seized by the group. According to the sources, residents exchanged warnings about the presence of Houthi female security personnel and expressed concerns over their money and valuables, fearing that possession of certain items could be used as a security pretext for abuses against them. Developments in Al-Jawf and Marib Government forces announced battlefield advances in the Al-Huwaishiyan and Al-Duhaydhah mountain ranges in Al-Jawf province as military operations continued across the area. Reports also indicated that airstrikes had targeted Houthi gatherings and military vehicles east of Al-Hazm city. Artillery fire reportedly struck Houthi positions and vehicles on the northern front in Marib province, where clashes continued along several axes. On Sunday evening, Yemen's armed forces announced that they had carried out 992 strikes under Operation Fajr Yemen, including 19 airstrikes, 29 drone sorties and 944 artillery and missile attacks. The military said preliminary figures showed that 267 Houthi militants and commanders had been killed, wounded or forced to flee, while 97 military vehicles and pieces of combat equipment had been destroyed or damaged. The statement did not specify the period over which all the operations had been conducted. For his part, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said areas under the group's control had been hit by 91 airstrikes over the preceding 24 hours. He said the strikes targeted several provinces, including Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Lahj. Meanwhile, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen had announced the destruction of three ballistic missile launchers in Houthi-controlled areas. According to the coalition, two launchers in Saada had been used in attacks on Riyadh, while a third in Sanaa had been used in an attempted attack on Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
