Yemeni government forces intensified on Saturday their military operations against the Houthi group on several fronts, carrying out air raids and drone strikes and firing artillery at them in Marib, al-Jawf and Taiz after the militants expanded their control of the west coast, Mokha and areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Government strikes focused on Houthi positions in Mokha and the Dhubab district that directly overlooks Bab al-Mandeb. Field sources said the jets struck the Houthis around Mokha port and airport and Jabal al-Nar in an attempt to hamper their military and logistics movements. Armed forces spokesman Staff Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili had urged civilians to avoid the Taiz-Mokha and Mokha-Dhubab roads until further notice as operations continued in the area. Government attacks around Mokha port killed several Houthis and destroyed vehicles and weapons used by the group, said al-Nuzaili. The attacks took place as the government forces were rearranging their deployment in southern Mokha after the battles shifted to east of Bab al-Mandeb near the border of the Lahj province. In Marib, east of Sanaa, the forces launched air strikes and fired artillery against the Houthis on the southern, western and northern fronts. Houthi militants ride on a pick-up truck while on patrol in Sanaa, Yemen, 12 September 2026. (EPA) Field sources said the Houthis brought reinforcements, including dozens of military vehicles and fighters, from Sanaa to Marib, indicating that the fighting will continue and expand. Government forces have maintained their defensive and offensive positions in Marib, which has for years been its military stronghold in the conflict against the Houthis. The militants are seeking to use the latest escalation to open new fronts in the war and ease military pressure off the coast and al-Jawf. In al-Jawf, the government used air raids and artillery fire to attack the Houthis east of al-Hazm city and kept up their siege against the militants inside the al-Labanat camp for the sixth straight day. In Taiz, field sources detected Houthi mobilization in the Sameh district and the cities of al-Dimnat and Rahida. On the border of the Lahj province, the Giants Brigades and Houthis were engaged in fighting around the al-Madaribah district. Military sources said the brigades repelled the Houthi advance.
