Yemeni government forces say they seized key peak in Taiz

Yemeni government forces said late Tuesday they had seized a key mountain peak in Taiz province after clashes with the Houthi group.

The Nation’s Shield Forces said on “X” that their troops captured the highest peak in Jabal Habashi district during ongoing military operations. They provided no further details, and the Houthis had not immediately commented.

Earlier Tuesday, the forces launched a large-scale operation against the Houthis in Taiz’s Al-Wazi’iyah district as part of the broader “Dawn of Yemen” campaign.

Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the operation on Monday, saying it aims to retake the capital, Sanaa, and restore state institutions from Houthi control.

Government forces also said Monday they had retaken the Red Sea port city of Mokha and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb area. The Houthis denied losing control of both locations.

The latest escalation is among the most significant rounds of fighting in Yemen since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022 ushered in a period of relative calm.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.