Yemen Government Forces Launch Major Offensive Against Houthis in Taiz
- Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthis have entered a fierce military struggle for the Taiz governorate, launching a major offensive to regain lost territory in the...
- Military forces aligned with the government launched dozens of air strikes on Houthi positions across Taiz in recent days, accompanied by artillery and drone operations.
- The heaviest fighting concentrates on the western axis of the city around Jabal Han, a mountain overlooking Taiz that commands key supply and transit routes.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthis have entered a fierce military struggle for the Taiz governorate, launching a major offensive to regain lost territory in the southwest of the country.
Fighting Escalates Across Taiz Governorate
Military forces aligned with the government launched dozens of air strikes on Houthi positions across Taiz in recent days, accompanied by artillery and drone operations. Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, a military spokesman for the government, said that forces carried out 71 precise targeting operations against Houthi gatherings, resulting in hundreds of Houthi casualties, though Al Jazeera noted those military claims could not be independently verified.
The heaviest fighting concentrates on the western axis of the city around Jabal Han, a mountain overlooking Taiz that commands key supply and transit routes.
Saudi Aircraft Launch Airstrikes Across Several Yemeni Governorates
The flare-up in Taiz coincides with a broader regional military escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV stated Saudi aircraft hit the Yemeni capital of Sanaa with 26 strikes, following earlier reports of intensive aerial assaults targeting northern, eastern, and southern areas of the city. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree reported roughly 94 airstrikes across the governorates of Sanaa, Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, Amran, and Ibb over a 24-hour period.
The renewed hostilities followed a breakdown in a four-year fragile truce after an Iranian plane landed in Sanaa carrying a Houthi delegation without seeking Saudi authorization. In response to Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa airport, the Houthis launched cross-border attacks into Saudi territory, striking oil infrastructure near Riyadh and imposing a naval blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. The escalation stems from a wider regional conflict involving Iran and the United States, prompting Riyadh to request international backing.
Strategic Importance of the Southwest
Taiz governorate anchors a critical demographic and geographic bottleneck between the Houthi-controlled north and the government-held south. Home to nearly 4.5 million people, the region includes the flat western coastal strip along the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
Control over Jabal Han is critical because it allows fighters to dominate entry points into Taiz City. While the Houthis have seized swathes of coastal and highland territory, they have not yet captured Taiz City, Yemen’s third-largest city, which remains under government control and serves as a major source of political legitimacy.
Saudi Arabia Weighs Ground Offensive Involving 100,000 Soldiers
Civilians continue to bear the heaviest burden of the renewed urban warfare and airstrikes. International reports from regional and Western officials cited by sources indicate that Saudi Arabia is weighing a large-scale ground offensive involving up to 100,000 Yemeni soldiers to alter the balance of power.
Governments Remain Silent on Leaked Plans for Ground Offensive
Neither the Saudi government nor the internationally recognized Yemeni government has officially confirmed details regarding leaked plans for a comprehensive ground offensive across multiple fronts including Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz, and Al-Jawf. It remains unclear whether diplomatic efforts or US involvement will shift the military trajectory, as the Trump administration reportedly weighs responses to the crisis following cabinet-level discussions in Washington.