Government forces bomb Houthi positions in southwestern Yemen

Yemeni government forces said Sunday that they targeted Houthi gatherings and positions in Yemen’s Taiz, Lahij and Al-Dhalea in the country’s southwest.

In a statement, the government’s Giants Brigades said its drones targeted Houthi gatherings and vehicles on the Kahboub front overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in Lahij.

The forces did not provide details on the outcome of the strikes, but released a video they said showed vehicles burning and Houthi positions being destroyed in the attacks.

Separately, the government-aligned Nation Shield Forces said in a statement that their drones targeted Houthi sites in Al-Dhalea Governorate, without providing further details.

The forces also released a video they said documented the strikes but did not give details on their results.

Meanwhile, the army’s Taiz Military Axis said warplanes targeted a camp and vehicles belonging to the Houthis at the Mawyah junction east of Taiz.

Yemeni Deputy Information Minister Fayad al-Numan said the strikes caused “heavy losses” among the Houthi forces.

The Houthi group did not immediately comment on the government statements.

However, the group’s self-declared health ministry said seven people were killed and 40 others injured in strikes it alleged were carried out by Saudi Arabia in the Mawyah junction area of Taiz province.

The group claimed the strikes targeted shops at a market in the area.

So far, neither the Saudi nor Yemeni authorities have commented on the claim.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Fighting intensified in September, with the Houthis taking control of several key areas in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the strategic city of Mokha, and reaching Mayyun Island overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

ANEWS wp:paragraph