18/08/2026
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18/08/2026
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ADEN, Aug 18: Yemen's government-aligned forces announced Tuesday that several Houthi fighters were killed and military vehicles destroyed in a series of drone strikes targeting rebel positions in the southeastern province of Shabwah.
The Shabwa Defense Forces said in a statement from their media center that they had "carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Houthi positions on the Harib, Ain, Bayhan and Upper Marib fronts."
According to the statement, drone units conducted precision strikes on Houthi-controlled positions, "causing human and material losses, including personnel and military vehicles."
The operation was launched in response to a Houthi drone attack that killed a government soldier, the forces said, though they provided no additional details about that earlier incident.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on the government's claims.
Earlier Tuesday, the Yemeni army separately reported that a "large number" of Houthi fighters had been killed or injured in drone strikes it conducted in Taiz province in southwestern Yemen, suggesting coordinated operations across multiple fronts.
Yemen has experienced relative calm since April 2022, following nearly 12 years of devastating war between government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital Sanaa and large swaths of the country in 2014.
However, since late 2023, following the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis have significantly escalated their regional involvement, launching attacks on Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The recent renewed clashes have raised concerns about a potential return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.
