Yemen’s armed forces say they carried out ‘precise, direct’ strikes against Houthis

By Jomaa Younis and Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) – Yemen’s armed forces said late Tuesday that they carried out 1,382 strikes against the Houthi group “in recent hours,” describing the attacks as “precise and direct.”

The operations "neutralized" around 440 Houthi fighters and commanders and secured new field gains in Taiz governorate in southwestern Yemen, army spokesman Col. Majed al-Nuzaili noted on the US social media platform X.

The operations targeted “field command centers, fortifications, sources of fire, troop concentrations and reserves as well as reinforcements, transport and supply assets belonging to the terrorist Houthi militia," al-Nuzaili said.

In Taiz governorate, al-Nuzaili said army units and Popular Resistance forces backed by warplanes carried out coordinated airstrikes and attacks using various tactical methods.

The operations thwarted Houthi attempts to retake positions they had lost, resulting in new advances on the ground and stronger fire control over several strategic positions and highlands, he added.

Taiz has witnessed intense fighting between the Yemeni army and the Houthi group for weeks, with hundreds killed and wounded on both sides.

On the Bab al-Mandab, Dhubab and Al-Mudhariba fronts in Taiz, al-Nuzaili said army forces thwarted Houthi infiltration attempts and targeted their reinforcements and military vehicles.

He also said army units continued offensive operations along the northern and northwestern approaches to the capital Sanaa and on the eastern front, supported by armored vehicles, artillery and drones.

According to the statement, the operations targeted Houthi movements, command centers, weapons positions, ammunition depots and fortifications, limiting the group’s ability to maneuver and move reinforcements between fronts.

Al-Nuzaili said simultaneous military operations would continue across the front lines to secure further gains, while precautions were being taken to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the Yemeni army’s statement.

The developments come amid a military escalation in Yemen that began in July, described as the most extensive since the relative calm that followed the start of a truce in April 2022.

Operation Dawn of Yemen has been underway since Oct. 5. Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said the operation aims to restore state institutions from Houthi control and take control of Sanaa.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, triggering a civil war. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.