Coinciding with the collapse of violent Houthi attacks on the Taiz and Lahj fronts, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced that the total air and ground attacks they carried out, with the support of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, exceeded 17,000 since the start of Operation “Yemen Dawn,” at a time when the past 24 hours witnessed the implementation of more than 1,250 attacks, resulting in the neutralization of about 700 Houthi elements, and the destruction or damage of more than 150 mechanisms and means. Combat.
The western front of Taiz took the lead in the confrontations, as government forces announced that they had repelled a Houthi attack that lasted about 12 hours, in addition to breaking other attacks in Al-Dabab, Al-Aqrodh, and Al-Shaqab, in conjunction with confrontations on the Al-Mudaraba and Al-Wazi’iyah fronts in Lahj Governorate.
The official spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, said that the operations carried out during the last day included Houthi sites, fortifications, trenches, fire sources, observation and reconnaissance points, in addition to advanced command and control centers and Houthi mobilization and supply areas.
He said that these strikes aimed to weaken the group's defensive systems and limit its ability to launch attacks, with a notable focus on the Taiz fronts.
The western front of the city of Taiz witnessed violent confrontations following a massive Houthi attack that lasted about 12 hours in the vicinity of Jabal Han, according to field testimonies from government forces, who said that they were able to repel the attack and force the attackers to retreat from the positions they tried to advance to.
The clashes extended to the vicinity of the old airport, Ghorab and Bir Pasha areas, with the use of heavy and medium weapons and artillery and missile shelling. Confrontations also continued in the vicinity of the Republican Palace, east of the city, amid reports of Houthi bombing targeting residential neighborhoods in the Old Airport area. Government forces said that they maintained their positions in Mount Han, and regained sites infiltrated by the attackers.
In the south of the governorate, government forces responded to Houthi attacks on the Al-Aqroud and Al-Shaqab fronts, in conjunction with air strikes that targeted a convoy of tanks and military vehicles in the Ras Al-Najd area of Al-Misrakh District, and the group’s positions in Tabba Softail, east of the city, in addition to a tank and a military vehicle on the Al-Dhabab front, west of Taiz.
Government forces reported that the confrontations and raids resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries among the Houthis, without an independent tally of the declared losses being available.
In Lahj Governorate, specifically in its west, where the border is with Taiz Governorate, the forces of the Southern Giants Brigades, led by a member of the Presidential Command Council, Abdul Rahman Al-Muharami, sent reinforcements from the Sixth Infantry Division and support units to the Mudaraba Front, as part of strengthening the forces deployed in the region and confronting Houthi infiltration attempts.
The Giants forces announced the destruction of Houthi military vehicles and equipment while confronting infiltration attempts, while their media reported the elimination of the last company from the group's 11th Reserve Brigade, in the context of losses it said Houthi formations had incurred during the confrontations.
These movements coincide with the continuation of fighting on the Al-Waziyah front, west of Taiz, where government forces seek to thwart attacks, prevent the Houthis from achieving field breakthroughs towards the areas adjacent to Lahj Governorate, and circumvent government forces in Bab Al-Mandab to break the siege on the Houthi enclaves.
In parallel with the ground confrontations, the local authorities in Marib announced that the Houthis bombed residential neighborhoods in the city with 9 ballistic missiles and 7 other projectiles, on Thursday evening, warning of continued targeting of populated areas, and calling on the international community and the United Nations to take measures to stop these attacks.
In Aden, the death toll from the missile attack that targeted the Ma'ashiq Presidential Palace and the Buraiqa area west of the city rose to 5 dead and 16 wounded, according to the Minister of Public Health and Population, Qasim Bahibah, who explained that the victims included members of the guards and civilian employees.
At the political and military level, the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Command Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, followed the developments of Operation “Yemen Dawn” and the progress of operations on various fronts, during a briefing presented by the Minister of Defense, Lieutenant-General Taher Al-Uqaili, the Chief of the General Staff and Commander of Joint Operations, Lieutenant-General Sagheer bin Aziz, and the Commander of the Fourth Military Region, Major General Hamdi Shukri, along with the governors of Taiz and Lahj.
According to the briefings, the number of air and ground attacks carried out by the armed forces, with the support of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, exceeded 17,000 since the start of the operation, targeting Houthi sites, gatherings, and military capabilities on multiple fronts.
Al-Alimi praised the performance of the armed forces, military formations, and popular resistance, praising the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the role of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in supporting the Yemeni state and its armed forces. He said that the operation is continuing in accordance with its declared goals to restore state institutions and extend its authority over the entire Yemeni territory, all the way to the capital, Sanaa.
The briefings also addressed the humanitarian and service conditions in Taiz and Lahj, and the measures taken to deal with waves of displacement and secure basic services and supply routes, in light of the repercussions of the military escalation.
Al-Alimi accused the Houthis of imposing coercive measures in the areas they infiltrated in Taiz Governorate, which included forced conscription, ideological mobilization, and attempts to change the identity of educational and community institutions, warning of the repercussions of these practices, and stressing the state’s responsibility to protect citizens and hold those involved in violations accountable.
On Thursday, the Houthi militia launched a missile attack on the vicinity of the Maashiq presidential palace in the temporary Yemeni capital, Aden. Which led to the death of two presidential guards, the injury of others, and material damage to the facility.
While the group acknowledged carrying out the attack, the Yemeni Ministry of Information confirmed the safety of Prime Minister Sha'i al-Zindani and members of the government, noting that they no longer hold their meetings inside the palace permanently in anticipation of these attacks.
The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, reassured, in phone calls, of the safety of the members of the Leadership Council, Lieutenant General Abdul Rahman Al-Muharami, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Al-Subaihi, Prime Minister Dr. Shaye’ Al-Zindani, and members of the government, following the terrorist attack, where he listened to a preliminary report on its effects and the measures taken to deal with its repercussions.
Al-Alimi stressed that the Houthi attack on the palace represents an extension of the militia’s approach to attacking airports, oil installations and civilian objects in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, threatening the security of the region and its waterways, and once again revealing the terrorist nature of the Houthis and their inability to confront the will of the Yemenis to restore national institutions.
The President stressed that the state will continue to perform its constitutional responsibilities with all determination, and that protecting its sovereign facilities and citizens is a non-negotiable responsibility, directing the competent military and security authorities to take the necessary measures to protect state institutions, confront terrorist threats, and respond appropriately to the sources of the threat, in accordance with the law and to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian objects.
In turn, the Council of Ministers confirmed that the attack on Ma’ashiq Palace with missiles and drones reveals the terrorist approach of the Houthis and their persistence in targeting civilians, stressing that it will not discourage the government from performing its responsibilities and duties towards citizens, and continuing the battle to restore the state and its institutions and end the coup that Operation “Yemen Dawn” is carrying out.
The Council explained, in a statement, that this targeting comes in the context of an escalating pattern of Houthi terrorism, which was not limited to targeting state institutions, but also extended to attacks on civilian objects and vital installations in Saudi Arabia, and the bombing of residential neighborhoods in the governorates of Taiz and Lahj, endangering the lives of civilians and doubling their suffering.
The statement noted that the Houthis represent a direct threat to the security of Yemen and its neighbourhood, regional stability and vital interests in the region, adding: “The future of Yemen will not be dependent on a militia that carries weapons in the face of its people, targets the security of its neighbors, and bets on violence to compensate for the Yemenis’ rejection of its coup project.”
The Council called on the international community and the United Nations to take a clear and firm stance regarding these attacks, not to treat them as separate incidents out of context, and to exert the necessary pressure to stop targeting civilians and civilian facilities, and to hold those responsible for violations accountable, ensuring that they do not escape accountability.
The statement indicated that the government will continue to perform its duties, support the armed forces, military formations, security services, and popular resistance in the battle to restore state authority, enhance the presence of its institutions and services, and protect citizens, in parallel with continuing the political, economic, and humanitarian efforts necessary to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
