OMM Redaksiyası
Military developments were reported on several fronts in Yemen on Thursday as government forces and the Houthi group exchanged attacks amid diplomatic efforts to address the escalation and its impact on national and regional security and freedom of navigation.
According to state-run Saba news agency, Yemeni government forces said they thwarted a Houthi infiltration attempt near a key road linking Taiz with the southern provinces of Lahj and Aden. The forces also said they downed a Houthi drone over Jabal Habashi district southwest of Taiz.
Clashes were also reported in Al-Bayda, Al-Jawf and Al-Dhalea. Government-held areas including Aden, Hadhramaut, Al-Mahra, Shabwa and Abyan remained relatively calm, according to the report.
Fighting intensifies around Taiz
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Majid al-Nuzaili said army units had targeted Houthi positions in Mokha and Taiz. He added that forces had secured Wadi Al-Maqatra on the Haifan front and the Hayjat Al-Abd road, a vital route connecting Aden, Lahj and Taiz.
Al-Nuzaili said the forces repelled attempted infiltrations, forcing the attackers to withdraw and causing losses in personnel and equipment. Air defenses also destroyed a Houthi “suicide drone” over Jabal Habashi.
Local sources said intense fighting took place on the mountainous Haifan front, where government forces were seeking to protect supply routes to Taiz and prevent further pressure on the city.
The renewed fighting has changed territorial control in Yemen. The Houthis expanded their presence along the western coast in September, capturing Mokha and nearby areas close to Bab el-Mandeb, including Mayyun Island and Dhubab.
Houthis report strikes in Saada and Hudaydah
The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that Saudi aircraft carried out five airstrikes on Kamaran Island in Hudaydah province. It also reported four strikes on the Qatabir and Marran districts in northern Saada province.
The agency, citing an unnamed local source, said one strike hit a telecommunications network in central Qatabir, while three others targeted Marran district.
The military escalation has further worsened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. The government’s Executive Unit for Internally Displaced Persons Camps said the number of registered displaced people in 10 provinces had exceeded 169,000, or 25,116 families, in an updated report covering developments through Sept. 21.
Missiles intercepted over Saudi Arabia
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had launched ballistic missiles and drones at military sites in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jazan region.
He claimed the operation targeted command and control rooms, weapons depots and other facilities in Al-Tuwal, as well as positions and missile launch platforms at Al-Daghareer camp and other military sites.
Shortly afterward, Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, said the coalition had intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward the western Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu.
“Escalation and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly,” al-Maliki said in posts on “X”. Saudi Civil Defense said warnings issued in Mecca, Taif, Tabuk, Yanbu and Jeddah had ended after the threat passed.
