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68Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia have intensified military operations against the Houthis, with heavy fighting reported west of Taiz and across several provinces.
The Yemeni Army said Friday that 30 Houthi fighters were killed and more than 60 wounded in 24 hours of clashes and airstrikes in the Al-Waziyah district, while both sides reported mounting casualties and civilian displacement.
A military source quoted by the Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center said government forces had fought intense clashes with Houthi fighters on several fronts in Al-Waziyah district, west of Taiz.
The source said Yemeni forces had “neutralized” 30 Houthi fighters and wounded more than 60 others during the 24-hour period.
Yemeni warplanes also targeted Houthi vehicles and gathering points in the fighting zone, according to the army.
The Yemeni military said its air force had additionally struck Houthi supply routes and deployment sites in Taiz and the Red Sea port city of Mocha.
Government forces said they had previously repelled Houthi attacks in Taiz and targeted Houthi positions and reinforcements. Turkish media reported that the Yemeni Army has expanded and intensified operations against Houthi positions in several provinces in recent days, with Taiz emerging as one of the main fronts.
68 killed in latest 24-hour fighting: The latest fighting came after military sources from both sides told AFP that 68 people had been killed during the previous 24 hours in clashes between the Houthis, Yemeni government forces and their Saudi backers.
A Yemeni government official said at least 23 government soldiers were killed in Houthi missile and drone attacks in two southwestern provinces.
Houthi military sources, meanwhile, said 40 of their fighters had been killed in Saudi airstrikes and ground fighting.
The three sides have become locked in increasingly violent exchanges since Yemen’s civil war flared back to life following the collapse of a fragile 2022 truce in July.
Saudi Arabia has also accused the Houthis of targeting the holy city of Makkah this week, adding another dimension to the rapidly escalating conflict.
Drone interception kills one in Taif: The violence has also spilled into Saudi Arabia, where authorities reported the first death inside the kingdom since the latest hostilities intensified.
A Yemeni national living in Saudi Arabia was killed after a Houthi drone was intercepted over Taif, a city east of Makkah, with falling debris damaging buildings and vehicles.
“The fall of shrapnel from a downed drone in Taif governorate resulted in one death, two injuries, and material damage to several buildings and vehicles,” Saudi authorities said.
State media footage showed damaged shopfronts and cars with their windows blown out following the incident.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency said one Yemeni resident was killed and two others were injured after the drone was intercepted in Taif governorate on Thursday.
It was the first death announced inside Saudi Arabia this month since the Iran-allied Houthis intensified their attacks.
Civilian casualties reported in Yemen: Houthi-run Almasirah television reported that three children were killed in strikes it attributed to “Saudi-backed mercenaries”, referring to Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces.
The Houthi-linked broadcaster separately reported Saudi air raids against telecommunications infrastructure in Taiz province. It said one civilian was killed and another injured in strikes on the town of Abs.
Houthi-controlled television also reported Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah province near the Saudi border and Red Sea coast, as well as in the vicinity of Taiz farther inland.
As the fighting expanded, Yemenis were reported to be using boats to flee across the Red Sea in an attempt to escape the spreading conflict.
The escalation has displaced more than 100,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Houthis claim control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast
The Houthis now claim control of the entire Yemeni Red Sea coastline after seizing territory along the coast during the past week. The group has accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in response to its advance.
The Houthis also claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 on Wednesday and released footage showing fighters at a smouldering crash site holding wreckage bearing Saudi insignia.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised address that the group wanted Saudi Arabia to end what he described as its blockade and occupation of Yemen and stop its military operations.
“We want the Saudis to cease their blockade and occupation of our country and to stop their aggression against us. This is our demand,” he said. Source: Sama TV.
