Yemeni army says it strikes Houthi forces in Taiz, causing casualties

Mohammed Sameai and Rania Abushamala

The Yemeni army said Sunday that it targeted Houthi gatherings and reinforcements in the southwestern province of Taiz, killing and wounding several fighters.

Army forces shelled Houthi “gatherings and reinforcements on the city’s northern front,” the Taiz Military Axis said in a statement on the US social media platform Facebook.

The shelling caused deaths and injuries among Houthi forces, it said, without providing figures.

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

Separately, Yemen’s Defense Ministry said Houthi mortar fire caused extensive damage to homes in Taiz.

The Houthis fired six mortar shells at several villages in the Al-Ashmalah area west of Taiz, ministry-affiliated September Net reported, citing unnamed local sources.

The shelling caused “panic and fear among residents, particularly women and children,” but no casualties were reported.

The developments came hours after the Yemeni government-aligned National Resistance Forces said the Houthis had launched new attacks on the city of Mokha in Taiz province using ballistic missiles and drones.

Yemen has witnessed a relative lull since April 2022 in a war that began nearly 12 years ago between government forces and the Houthis, who have controlled the capital Sanaa and other cities and provinces since September 2014.

Fighting has resumed in several provinces in recent weeks, however, including Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Dhalea, and Taiz, as the country continues to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian and economic crises.