Yemen forces repel fierce Houthi assaults on Taiz as strikes hit Sanaa

AL-MUKALLA, Oct 4: Yemeni government forces in southwestern Taiz province on Saturday repelled what local military commanders described as some of the fiercest Houthi assaults in years, as the Iran-backed militia launched heavy artillery, missile and ground attacks on government-held positions.

Col. Abdul Basit Al-Baher, a Yemeni army officer in Taiz, described the fighting as among the most intense battles of the 12-year war. He said the Houthis deployed large numbers of fighters and sent repeated waves of infantry toward government positions, backed by missiles, artillery and tanks. “As soon as we eliminated one wave, another would appear,” he told Arab News, adding that dozens of Houthi fighters were killed on the front where he was stationed.

The latest escalation follows a major Houthi offensive launched about a month ago in Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, during which the militia deployed thousands of fighters and used missiles and drones. The Houthis subsequently seized Mokha, a key Red Sea city and base of the government-aligned National Resistance Forces, along with five other districts and positions around the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, according to the report.

Fighting intensified over the past three days around Han Mountain, Hathran and other western outskirts of Taiz city, as well as Al-Kadaha and Jabal Habashi. Al-Baher said government forces had repelled Houthi advances at most flashpoints, destroying military equipment and forcing Houthi units to withdraw.

He alleged that the scale and intensity of the offensive indicated the involvement of senior Houthi commanders and possibly personnel from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Those allegations could not be independently verified.

The Houthis have failed to capture Taiz city despite repeated offensives over more than a decade. The militia controls several major access routes and has maintained a siege that has severely restricted movement in and out of the city.

Meanwhile, Yemeni army spokesman Col. Majid Al-Nuzaili said government forces had carried out strikes against what he called “vital” military targets in Houthi-controlled Sanaa. Residents reported large explosions in the capital, while social media videos appeared to show thick smoke rising from mountainous areas.

“Our armed forces are carrying out an offensive operation against legitimate, vital military targets in Sanaa,” Al-Nuzaili said on X, adding that the army had the capability to conduct strategic strikes against the Houthis.