Key facts
- Yemen's Defense Ministry reported 356 operations against Houthi targets in the last 24 hours.
- The operations resulted in 476 claimed Houthi casualties (killed or wounded).
- Attacks targeted command and control centers, weapons depots, and field artillery across 10 fronts.
- Government forces advanced in southern Taiz, taking control of Jabal Bazel.
- The military media center reported air strikes on Houthi positions in multiple locations in Taiz.
- The Houthis claimed to have shot down three Saudi drones.
Yemen's government forces have intensified attacks against the Iran-backed Houthi group, conducting 356 operations in the past 24 hours and claiming to have killed or wounded 476 Houthi members, according to the Defense Ministry. The operations targeted command and control centers, weapons depots, and field artillery across 10 fronts.
In the southwestern governorate of Taiz, government forces carried out multiple air and ground operations, including targeting Houthi positions in several districts and military vehicles. The military media center reported advances in the southern Taiz governorate, with government forces taking control of Jabal Bazel, a mountaintop that places Houthi supply lines within target range. Al Jazeera's Maha Ali reported from Taiz that these developments point to significant ground operations.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, has called on citizens to mobilize and join the fight against the Houthis to stop their advance and regain lost territory. Ibrahim al-Huri, from the University of Saba, suggested that the call for mobilization would likely receive support in government-controlled areas, though fear of retaliation could be an obstacle in Houthi-controlled regions.
Recent weeks have seen the Houthis make territorial gains, seizing the city of Mocha and expanding control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The Houthis' military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed that Houthi fighters shot down three Saudi drones over al-Jawf and al-Bayda provinces in the past 24 hours. Saudi Arabia, which has faced Houthi attacks, is seeking support from allies like Pakistan and Turkiye.