Yemeni army says 100 Houthis killed, 5 drones downed in southwestern Taiz province

The Yemeni army said Tuesday that 100 Houthi fighters were killed, and five drones were downed in the southwestern province of Taiz during ongoing military operations in the country.

The army’s Taiz Military Axis said in a statement that government forces carried out attacks on several fronts as part of the “Dawn of Yemen” offensive.

It said five operations were conducted Monday on the Al-Arbaeen front north of Taiz city, Al-Aqroudh to the south, Al-Anin and Jabal Habashi to the west, as well as Al-Bireen on the outskirts of the Al-Kadha front.

According to the army, around 100 Houthi fighters were killed and 150 others wounded, while five drones were shot down and six military vehicles and a tank were destroyed or damaged.

The army also said that its forces had retaken Jabal al-Manzara, al-Asharif and Dhiban in southern Taiz from the Houthis.

On Monday, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the launch of the “Dawn of Yemen” operation, saying it aims to restore state institutions, retake the capital Sanaa and end Houthi control.

Government forces also announced Monday that they had retaken the Red Sea coastal city of Mokha and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb area from the Houthis.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, meanwhile, disputed government accounts of battlefield advances and said the group maintained control of its positions.

He also claimed that Houthi forces had carried out dozens of strikes against what he described as Saudi forces in the provinces of Al-Jawf and Marib, as well as in Ras al-Ara and Al-Suqiya.

Saree claimed that more than 200 opposing fighters were killed or wounded in the attacks. Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led coalition did not immediately comment on the claims.

Clashes resumed between government forces and the Houthis in July, marking the most intense fighting since a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce that began in April 2022.

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

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