Arab News | Dozens reportedly killed as Yemeni forces battle major Houthi offensive in Taiz

AL-MUKALLA: At least 30 Houthis were reportedly killed over the past 24 hours in Yemen’s Taiz province after government forces repelled what officials described as the largest and most coordinated offensive by the Iran-backed group against government-held areas of the province in years.

Heavy mortar fire by the Houthis targeting government-controlled areas across much of Taiz began on Wednesday night, before the group launched ground assaults that triggered fierce fighting with government troops and allied local resistance fighters.

Col. Abdul Basit Al-Baher, a Yemeni army officer in Taiz, told Arab News that the offensive followed several days of Houthi mobilization, and involved attacks on government forces across 56 flashpoints in the province.

“This is an invasion of Taiz,” he said. “This is a major battle in every sense of the word, involving a large number of fighters from Saada, Al-Bayda and other provinces, as well as heavy military equipment.”

The Houthis deployed waves of fighters in an attempt to break through government defenses, he added, while smaller groups tried to infiltrate under cover of darkness. Some of the fighters, he said, wore women’s clothing in an attempt to enter government-controlled areas unnoticed and claim territorial gains.

The fighting continued into Thursday afternoon, but government troops prevented further Houthi advances, Al-Baher said.

Residents said Houthi fighters accessed Hayjat Al-Abd road, the main route connecting Taiz with the southern city of Aden, planted explosives inside a culvert and blew it up, cutting a vital lifeline for residents. Previous Houthi attempts to seize the road and isolate Taiz from Aden had failed when they were pushed back by government troops.

In a statement on Thursday, the Yemeni army said its forces, backed by local resistance fighters, were repelling major Houthi attacks in the Jabal Habashi and Maqbanah districts west of Taiz, and in Al-Misrakh district.

Dozens of Houthis, including field commanders, were killed, wounded or captured, the army added, and a large amount of the group’s military equipment was destroyed. Government warplanes carried out six airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in southern and southeastern Taiz.

“Our forces continue to counter Houthi attacks with efficiency, competence and high morale,” the army said, citing an unnamed military official.

Col. Majed Al-Nuzail, a spokesperson for the Yemeni military, said government forces remained in their positions in Taiz, and rejected Houthi claims that they had made territorial gains.

“The heroes of our armed forces on the Taiz fronts remain, as we have always known them, steadfast in their positions and united in their ranks,” Al-Nuzail said in a message posted on social media platform X.

Rashad Al-Alimi, chairperson of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, praised the government troops and allied local fighters for repelling the Houthi offensive against the city of Taiz and other government-held areas.

He instructed army commanders to isolate Houthi fighters who had infiltrated government lines, protect major roads and secure vital public facilities, the official Yemen News Agency reported.

He also ordered commanders to counter what the government described as Houthi efforts to exploit their control over much of Yemen’s telecommunications sector by sending messages aimed at undermining the morale of government troops.

“It was the militias that started this war and chose the path of escalation; however, our armed forces, backed by the will of our people and the support of our brethren, are the ones who will bring it to an end in a manner that fulfills the aspirations of the Yemeni people to reclaim their state, security, freedom and dignity,” Al-Alimi said.

He pledged not only to push the Houthis back from Taiz, but also to continue military operations to retake Sanaa and other areas under Houthi control.

Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the Houthis had intensified their attacks in Taiz in an attempt to isolate the city by cutting its main road connection to Aden.

“The Houthis are attacking across several fronts, seeking to cut the Taiz-Aden highway and isolate the city,” he said in a message posted on X.

“Government-aligned forces and local resistance are fighting back. The battle could determine whether the Houthis can extend their advance further south.”