Yemeni army claims to have foiled Houthi infiltration attempt near Taiz

Mohammed Sameai and Mohammad Sio

The Yemeni army said Wednesday that it had successfully foiled an infiltration attempt by Houthi fighters near Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz.

Yemen’s official Saba news agency quoted an unnamed military source as saying that army forces had “forced Houthi elements to flee and retreat” from the area.

The source did not provide any additional details regarding the alleged infiltration attempt.

Yemen’s Ansar Allah group, also known as the Houthis, has yet to respond to the army’s claim.

On Tuesday, the army said several Houthi fighters had been killed or injured by drone strikes near the Al-Salou district in the southeastern Taiz province.

The reported clashes come amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and government forces in several provinces – including Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Dhalea and Taiz – after a period of relative calm.

In 2014, the Iran-backed Houthis overran much of the country, including Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

This was followed by several years of war between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

Since the eruption of the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2023, ​​​​​​​the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, carrying out missile attacks on Israel and Israel-linked commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The latest uptick in fighting – coupled with the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States – has revived fears of a return to full-scale conflict in the impoverished Gulf nation.

Parties call for ‘decisive’ action

In a related development, a bloc comprised of 22 Yemeni political parties and groups on Wednesday issued a statement calling for “comprehensive and decisive” action against the Houthis with a view to restoring state institutions.

The National Bloc of Political Parties and Groups issued the statement after a meeting held to assess recent political and military developments in Yemen.

The bloc includes major Yemeni parties, including the General People’s Congress, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah), the Yemeni Socialist Party, the Nasserist Unionist People’s Organization and the Yemeni Al-Rashad Union.

According to the statement, the meeting discussed “military escalations by the Iran-backed Houthis on the fronts in Marib, the western coast and elsewhere.”

The bloc asserted that Yemen stands at a “crossroads” due to “Houthi aggression,” calling on Yemenis to remain vigilant and prepare for all possibilities.

It said the conflict would only end with the defeat of the Houthis and the restoration of state institutions, adding that only a “comprehensive and decisive” military campaign would bring an end to Yemen’s ongoing political crisis.

The bloc also voiced its support for Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council headed by Rashad Al-Alimi, and the latter’s efforts to reassert state control across the war-torn country.