Yemen’s government-aligned forces repel Houthi attack as fighting has displaced over 340,000 people

Yemen’s government-aligned forces said Saturday that they had repelled a Houthi attack in the southwestern province of Lahj, while state-run media reported airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements in the neighboring Taiz province.

The government-aligned Giants Brigades said they had “repelled a Houthi attack in the Al-Mudharaba district” in Lahj.

The forces posted a video on Facebook that they said showed Houthi fighters fleeing after the attack was repelled.

The forces’ statement came as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that the ongoing military escalation has displaced more than 340,000 people since August.

The government controls most of the Lahj province, which borders the interim capital Aden to the north and west.

Key roads linking Aden to other provinces pass through Lahj, while some of its districts lie near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden.

Airstrikes in Taiz

The government-run version of the Saba News Agency reported that warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements in Wadi al-Sahya, in Taiz’s Al-Shamayatayn district.

The agency did not give further details, and there was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the report.

Government forces control the city of Taiz and other parts of the province, while the Houthis have advanced in recent weeks in rural and coastal areas of Al-Mokha, Al-Shamayatayn, Al-Ma’afer, Jabal Habashi and Al-Wazi’iyah, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The Houthis now control most of the province, as government forces have lost ground in rural and coastal areas, with some areas remaining contested.

Taiz connects northern provinces, including Ibb and Sanaa, with southern provinces such as Lahj and Aden.

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It is also home to the Red Sea port of Al-Mokha and is Yemen’s most populous province, accounting for about 12% of the country’s population.

Shipment seized

Saba News Agency also reported that Yemeni emergency forces had “seized a large shipment of drone components” that it said was “on its way to the Houthi militia.”

The agency aired footage it said documented the seizure but did not specify where or when the operation took place.

The Houthis issued no immediate comment.

Ongoing military escalation

The developments come as Yemeni armed forces vowed to continue operations to achieve the objectives of Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” while taking measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The operation, launched on Oct. 5, aims to restore state institutions from Houthi control and recapture the capital Sanaa, according to Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council.

Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has intensified since July, particularly in the Taiz province, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The escalation has ended a period of relative calm in Yemen that began in April 2022, further worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2015 against the Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa and several other provinces since the previous year.

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