Yemeni forces hold key Taiz front after repelling Houthi attack
ADEN – Fierce clashes erupted on Sunday between Yemeni government forces and Houthi fighters across several fronts in Taiz province, leaving several members of the Iran-aligned group dead and resulting in the downing of a Houthi drone, according to military and government sources.
The Taiz Military Axis, the official Yemeni Army command structure under the Fourth Military Region, said five Houthi fighters were killed after government forces thwarted an attempted infiltration towards army positions on the strategic Jabal Han front west of Taiz city.
In a statement published on its official Facebook account, the military command said its forces had successfully repelled the Houthi advance attempt, without providing further details on the intensity of the fighting or whether government forces suffered any casualties.
State-run Yemen TV reported that heavy clashes broke out in the Jabal Han area, ending with the failure of the Houthi assault and preventing the group from achieving a battlefield breakthrough against army positions.
Jabal Han is considered one of the most strategically important locations west of Taiz. The mountainous area overlooks a vital road linking Taiz with Lahj province and extending south towards Aden, Yemen’s interim capital, giving it significant importance for military movements, supply routes and territorial control between western and southern regions.
The fighting was not limited to Jabal Han.
On the Al-Salw front in southeastern Taiz, Yemen TV reported that artillery units from the 35th Armoured Brigade targeted Houthi positions at Ali Nasser camp and Sirih Hill in the Dimnat Khadir area.
The strikes, according to the report, resulted in direct casualties among Houthi fighters, although no figures were provided.
Further west, in the Al-Barah sector, units from the 43rd Brigade engaged Houthi forces in intense clashes lasting around two hours, involving heavy weapons and artillery fire.
Government forces succeeded in suppressing Houthi firing positions and inflicted material and human losses on the group, Yemen TV reported, without specifying the scale of the damage.
Additional fighting was reported on the Al-Anin front in Jabal Habashi district, west of Taiz, where Yemen’s official Saba news agency said three Houthi fighters were killed or wounded during clashes with army forces.
A military source quoted by Saba said the confrontation erupted after Houthi fighters attempted to carry out “hostile activities”, without providing further details.
In another development, Yemen TV reported that government air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as it attempted to target a training camp in southern Taiz province.
The report did not identify the type of drone or specify where it was brought down.
The Houthis have not issued an immediate statement regarding the loss of the drone or the clashes reported across Taiz.
Meanwhile, the group announced the funeral of one of its military officers, signalling continued casualties within its ranks despite the absence of an official explanation over the circumstances of his death.
Houthi-run news agency Saba reported that Colonel Saleh Ali Saleh Ali al-Mutairi was buried in Bani Matar district of Sanaa province, describing him as having been “martyred while carrying out his duty in defence of religion and the homeland” as part of what the group calls the “promised victory” and “sacred jihad” campaign.
The agency did not disclose where or when Mutairi was killed, or whether his death was linked to the latest fighting in Taiz.
The latest escalation comes amid renewed tensions across Yemen’s front lines despite a relative lull that has prevailed since a UN-backed truce began in April 2022.
The ceasefire significantly reduced large-scale fighting, but clashes between government forces and the Houthis have continued intermittently. The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and large parts of northern and western Yemen since they seized the capital in 2014.
Since early July, military tensions have intensified on several fronts, with some areas witnessing the heaviest fighting since the 2022 truce, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries on both sides.
The Yemeni conflict has also seen renewed regional developments, including reports that the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government carried out air strikes against Houthi positions for the first time since 2022.
The Houthis, meanwhile, have claimed attacks targeting strategic sites inside Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia continues to support Yemen’s government through the coalition backing the internationally recognised authorities, while Riyadh and Yemeni officials accuse Iran of providing military and political support to the Houthis, an allegation Tehran denies.
The renewed fighting around Taiz highlights the province’s continued importance in Yemen’s wider conflict.
Long divided between government and Houthi-controlled areas, Taiz remains one of the country’s most contested regions due to its strategic location connecting western highlands, southern provinces and key transport corridors.
Military analysts say control of areas such as Jabal Han, Al-Barah and surrounding highlands provides significant leverage over supply routes and access between northern and southern Yemen.
While neither side appears to be seeking a return to full-scale nationwide warfare, the latest clashes underline the fragility of Yemen’s truce and the continued risk that localised confrontations could widen into broader escalation.