Yemeni government forces seize strategic mountain range in Lahj after clashes with Houthis

Yemeni government forces said Friday that they seized control of the strategic Numan mountain range in the southern province of Lahj following clashes with the Houthis, Anadolu reports.

The Yemeni army’s media center said government forces, backed by the Popular Resistance, took control of the mountain range overlooking the Al-Wazi’iyah and Al-Mudarabah districts.

Houthi fighters withdrew from the area and suffered heavy losses in personnel and military equipment, it added.

The Nation’s Shield Forces said its units, backed by the Giants Brigades and local tribesmen, seized the summit of Jabal Numan and the nearby Dar al-Kafir position in a rapid military operation.

According to the force, the operation began with an overnight infiltration followed by the encirclement of the position and an assault at dawn, forcing Houthi fighters to flee and leave behind weapons and ammunition.

It described Jabal Numan as a commanding strategic position overlooking supply routes between Al-Wazi’iyah and Al-Mudarabah, saying the Houthis had used it to monitor the area and shell nearby villages and military positions.

The force said control of the summit would help secure villages in Wadi Al-Mudarabah and the outskirts of Al-Wazi’iyah, reduce the threat of Houthi shelling and cut off a key infiltration route.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the statements.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks along fronts between Taiz and Lahj provinces.

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