Government forces announce control of 2 areas in Yemen’s Taiz

Aziz Ahmadi and Serdar Dincel

A Yemeni army commander said Tuesday that government forces took control of two areas following fighting with the Houthi group in Taiz province in the west.

Abdul Aziz Al-Majidi, chief of staff of the Taiz military axis, said in a video recording seen by an Anadolu correspondent that “the armed forces in the Taiz axis launched an offensive on the Al-Kadha front in western Taiz province.”

“The armed forces managed to establish control over the Al-Mukazama and Al-Mihal areas on the same front,” he added, without providing details.

The Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center said separately that “warplanes targeted a gathering and a command center belonging to the Houthi militia on the Jabal Habashi front west of Taiz city,” without elaborating.

The Houthis have not commented on the statements.

Military clashes between government forces and the Houthis have escalated in recent days across several fronts, particularly in the Taiz, Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda provinces, alongside airstrikes targeting Houthi positions.

Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country in 2014.

Since late 2023, after the war in the Gaza Strip began, the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, launching attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while recent renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.