Yemeni government forces expanded their battlefield advances on Tuesday across several fronts, retaking the Al-Yatama area in Khabb and al-Shaaf district of Al-Jawf province, northeast of Sanaa, a day after recapturing Al-Labanat farther south. The gains coincided with the launch of a major military operation in Al-Bayda province, southeast of Sanaa, and with continued fighting along the western coast and west of Taiz, on the sixth day of the Houthis’ escalation. The advances come as government forces have shifted in recent days from containing Houthi ground attacks to regaining the initiative on several fronts, capitalizing on the group’s retreat from some positions. Army units, local resistance forces and the Giants Brigades continue to conduct operations across multiple fronts. Government forces announced the capture of Al-Yatama in northeastern Al-Jawf, saying their advance in the area was continuing. The announcement came a day after they retook Al-Labanat, located to the south. The two areas are strategically important because they lie along Houthi movement and supply routes. Controlling them would restrict the group’s supply and communication lines between its positions in parts of Al-Jawf and clear the way for government forces to continue operations toward the provincial capital, Al-Hazm. Armed forces spokesman Staff Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said government troops were advancing under carefully prepared military plans on the Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda fronts, with ground operations supported by air capabilities and advanced weapons. Al-Nuzaili said forces had pounded Al-Yatama with rocket launchers to pave the way for troops and tribesmen to enter the area. Government forces later announced that they had taken control of it. He also said forces had reached the outskirts of Dhi Na’im in Al-Bayda province and were preparing to enter the district. The spokesman urged Houthi fighters to withdraw from the advancing fronts with their light weapons to preserve their lives, warning them against continuing to fight government forces. New operation in Al-Bayda In Al-Bayda, the Giants Brigades launched a major military operation against the Houthis and seized several forward positions and strategically important areas after clashes forced the group to retreat, according to field sources. The sources said at least 23 Houthi fighters were killed and dozens wounded, while the group also suffered losses in equipment and vehicles. Government forces continued operations to consolidate control over captured positions and reinforce their advances along the battlefronts. The opening of the Al-Bayda front alongside operations in Al-Jawf reflects the widening scope of the current ground campaign. During the first days of fighting, clashes had largely been concentrated along the western coast and west of Taiz. In Taiz, fighting continued between government forces and the Houthis on several fronts, including Al-Kurayfat, east of Taiz city. The Al-Dhalea axis also saw fierce clashes on the Murais front, where the two sides fought with various weapons and government forces said they inflicted losses on the Houthis in the Al-Qahra sector. West of Taiz, battles continued across sectors of the Al-Barh axis, particularly in Al-Kadha. Forces involved in the operation said they had pounded three lines of Houthi defenses as clashes persisted elsewhere along the axis. Missile attacks Fighting also continued along the western coast as government forces advanced in Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda, while the Houthis sought to offset battlefield pressure by targeting civilian areas. The city of Mokha came under ballistic missile fire on Monday evening, with a strike hitting the grounds of a medical complex and damaging healthcare facilities and housing for doctors and nurses, according to local and health officials. The attack prompted warnings about the consequences of targeting medical facilities and their staff. Shawqi al-Mikhlafi, director of the health office in Mokha, said the strike on the medical complex constituted an attack on a healthcare facility. Nasr Askar, director of the Mokha General Hospital Authority, warned of the dangers of targeting healthcare facilities, medical personnel and civilians. The missile strike came amid an escalation along the western coast and west of Taiz that began last Thursday, when the Houthis expanded their ground attacks before government forces regained the initiative and advanced in several areas. In recent days, the fighting has spread beyond the coastal fronts, with government forces advancing in southern Hodeidah and western Taiz and retaking positions on several fronts. The Houthis, meanwhile, deployed reinforcements and sought to hold their forward positions. Tareq Saleh, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said during a visit to wounded fighters at hospitals in Mokha that the armed forces had thwarted what he described as an Iranian project to control the Bab al-Mandab Strait. He said opening fronts against the Houthis and Iran would strengthen resistance and ultimately lead, in his words, to the recapture of Sanaa. Saleh reiterated the objective of retaking Sanaa and all Yemeni territory and ending what he called the project of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in Yemen. He also praised the sacrifices of forces fighting along the western coast.
