The fighting fronts in Yemen witnessed a simultaneous military escalation on Monday, with the “National Shield” forces announcing a massive attack on Houthi positions in Lahj Governorate, west of the country, and confrontations continuing in other governorates, where government and resistance forces confronted the group’s attacks in Taiz, and the latter responded by targeting civilians and an ambulance.
The “Homeland Shield” forces said that units from the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Brigades of the First Division carried out a large-scale and sudden attack on the Houthi positions and fortifications on the Attempt Front in the Mudaraba and Ras al-Ara District, which, according to their statement, resulted in the killing and wounding of dozens of the group’s members, and groups of them fled and left the bodies of their dead in the valleys and valleys.
The government forces announced the control of the “National Shield” forces on the Kahboub front near Bab al-Mandab, and also published video scenes that they said document the deployment of their forces in the mountainous sites in the region.
The Fourth Military Region broadcast scenes of the targeting of a Houthi military vehicle on the Al-Maqtara Front in Lahj Governorate, which it said was loaded with field supplies and needs.
In Taiz Governorate, government forces reported that, with the support of the popular resistance, they continued confrontations and confronted Houthi attacks, targeting their movements and sources of fire in several axes, while military sources spoke of confrontations on various fronts of the governorate, while civilians were killed by fire from members of the Houthi group in several separate areas.
Two civilians were killed and a third was injured, on Sunday, when Houthis targeted an ambulance, which was carrying a wounded person, while it was passing on the public road in the Al-Awat area, west of the Al-Shaqab area in the Sabr Al-Mawadim District, south-east of the city, killing the wounded man who was carrying him and his father, and wounding a member of the ambulance crew, according to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba).
The Joint Medical Emergency Committee in Taiz Governorate condemned the targeting of ambulances and medical teams, and said that preliminary information also indicates that another ambulance was targeted in the same area. This is the third targeting of ambulances in Taiz since the start of the recent confrontations.
The committee warned that the repetition of these attacks threatens rescue and medical evacuation operations, and puts the lives of civilians and the wounded at risk, calling on the United Nations, the international community and the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene to ensure the protection of medical teams and secure the movement of ambulances.
Nine civilians, including two children and two women, were also injured as a result of shelling, shooting, and sniper targeting in the areas of Al-Najada in the Sabr Al-Mawadim District, the Old Airport, Al-Arous, Wadi Al-Bir and Qahma in the Mashra’a Wa Hadnan District, and Qahfat Al-Sarm in the Al-Aqroud area, southeast of the governorate. The causes of injuries varied between gunshots and artillery shell fragments, according to the official agency.
A civilian car came under fire from a Houthi sniper in the village of Al-Najada, which resulted in two women being injured by shrapnel.
Local sources in the Al-Shamaytain District of the governorate revealed that about 30 female members of the Houthi group, known as “Zainabiyyat,” arrived in the city of Al-Turbah in the district and other villages and centers in the neighboring regions and districts, in a move that raised residents’ fears about preparations to carry out raid campaigns targeting homes.
Observers link these movements to the battles taking place in the neighboring districts of Al-Maqtara and Al-Mudaraba, which belong to Lahj Governorate, as part of the group’s concerns about the existence of coordination between government forces and individuals affiliated with it and the popular resistance in the districts that the group recently seized.
According to the sources, the people of those areas exchanged warnings from members of the Houthi women police regarding their money and valuables, and against any security explanations for the presence of any property because of which the group could commit violations against the residents.
The government forces announced field progress in the Al-Hawishyan and Al-Dahida mountain ranges in Al-Jawf Governorate, in conjunction with the continuation of their operations in the governorate. There were also reports of air strikes targeting Houthi gatherings and vehicles east of the city of Al-Hazm, and artillery shelling of the group’s gatherings and vehicles on the northern front in Ma’rib Governorate, in addition to confrontations in the governorate’s axes.
On Sunday evening, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced the implementation of 992 targeting operations as part of Operation “Yemen Dawn,” which included 19 air strikes, 29 drone sorties, and 944 artillery and missile operations. They said that their initial toll amounted to 267 Houthi members and leaders killed, wounded, and fleeing, in addition to the destruction or damage of 97 combat vehicles and means.
On the other hand, the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said that the group’s areas of control were subjected to 91 air strikes during the previous 24 hours on several governorates, including Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf, and Lahj.
The areas controlled by the Houthi group are witnessing an unprecedented wave of migration among young people and graduates, driven by the collapse of living conditions and the escalation of recruitment and forced recruitment campaigns carried out by the group to push civilians on the battle fronts, amid the expansion of poverty and unemployment and the blockage of future prospects.
Identical local sources in the capital, Sana’a, and Ibb Governorate reported to Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement of Yemenis leaving abroad, especially the Gulf countries, recorded a record high during the recent period, indicating that the increasing fears of families for the fate of their children due to intellectual and military mobilization campaigns turned from a motive to improve income into an “forced survival strategy” to protect youth and children from forced conscription.
This wave reflects the transformation of alienation into a forced choice. Migration is no longer limited to those with experience, but rather extends to graduates and unemployed youth who sell their possessions or take out loans to cover travel costs.
The movement of young people abroad is increasing, especially to the Gulf countries, whether through work contracts or with the help of relatives and acquaintances, in light of the widening unemployment, declining sources of income, and lack of stable job opportunities, in addition to families’ fears of their children being exposed to recruitment campaigns.
Abdullah, a family head residing in Sanaa, says: “My eldest son’s travel to Saudi Arabia is no longer just for the purpose of improving income, but it has become an inevitable necessity to keep him away from the atmosphere of Houthi mobilization and polarization, after our city was unable to provide the minimum requirements for livelihood or safety.”
In Ibb Governorate, a young university man in his late twenties recounts his experience, saying: “The years of searching for work provided me with only limited opportunities that did not cover basic needs. Traveling is my only realistic option. Working abroad, despite its risks, is better than remaining without income or slipping into paths that do not serve my future.”
These certificates coincide with a stifling economic crisis afflicting the areas under the control of the Houthis, as a result of the continued interruption of public employee salaries, the high cost of living, and the decline in commercial activity due to ongoing collections, which has limited the ability of the private sector to generate stable job opportunities.
Those concerned with Yemeni social affairs warn that the continued migration of young people does not limit its impact to the disintegration of families and the separation of children from their families, but rather extends to the depletion of the workforce, competencies and energies of young people, and undermines the chances of economic and social recovery, especially with the departure of graduates and people of professions and specializations who could have contributed to rebuilding the country’s institutions.
A previous report by the United Nations Group of International Experts on Yemen documented the Houthi group’s use of coercion and financial inducements in recruitment operations. The report indicated the existence of an organized, multi-level system for recruiting children led by the “General Mobilization Committee” affiliated with the so-called Ministry of Defense in the group’s government (which is not recognized internationally).
According to the UN report, recruitment operations affected children in several governorates, most notably Sana’a, Amran, Dhamar, Hajjah, Saada, and Al-Bayda, and cases of forceful kidnapping of children and pressure exerted by the group on families were monitored, which deepened the families’ fears and pushed them to smuggle their children.
In recent hours, the Yemeni arena witnessed a simultaneous military escalation on several fronts, extending from the provinces of Lahj and Taiz in the southwest of the country to Marib and Al-Jawf in the north, coinciding with a wave of missile attacks and Houthi marches targeting Saudi regions, including the capital, Riyadh, and the eastern and southern regions, amid continuing military operations by Yemeni government forces and developments indicating the expansion of confrontations.
Yemeni military sources reported that Yemeni warplanes carried out a precise air strike targeting a meeting of prominent field leaders of the Houthi group in the Al-Maqtara District, north of Lahj Governorate, after monitoring their movements and obtaining intelligence information about the location of the meeting.
The final toll of human losses resulting from the strike, or the identities of the leaders who were present at the targeted site, are not yet clear.
The targeting comes in the context of the escalation of military operations on the Lahj fronts, especially the areas connected to the Al-Maqtara, Al-Mudaraba and Tur Al-Baha districts, which have witnessed confrontations and mutual attacks during the past days, with Houthi attempts to advance towards strategic sites and supply routes linking the Lahj and Taiz governorates.
Government forces announced the recovery of strategic sites on the Mudaraba Front, following violent confrontations with the Houthis, which included intense attacks launched by members of the group on military sites, before they were able to confront them and force the attackers to retreat.
In a total outcome of the operations, on Saturday, the Yemeni army announced the implementation of 875 various military operations against the Houthis, which included artillery strikes, ambushes, and targeting military sites, gatherings, and reinforcements, confirming the neutralization of 130 members of the group, and the destruction or damage of about 50 military vehicles and equipment, including missile launchers.
The military spokesman for the Yemeni army, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, explained that the operations were carried out on several fronts, with a focus on the group’s positions, reinforcements and combat capabilities, with the participation of ground units and air and artillery support, while government forces continue their operations in Al-Jawf Governorate and other areas as part of the ongoing confrontations to restore military sites and secure the liberated areas.
The escalation extended to the Ma'rib fronts, where government forces announced the downing of a Houthi reconnaissance drone in one of the governorate's sectors, coinciding with thwarting simultaneous ground attacks launched by the group on military sites in the Taiz and Lahj governorates.
Yemeni army artillery also targeted Houthi military vehicles and barracks on the northern front of Ma'rib, after another drone was shot down on the Mas front, in operations that military sources said were aimed at reducing the group's capabilities to monitor, reconnaissance, and follow up on troop movements.
In Al-Jawf Governorate, government forces announced the achievement of new field progress and control of high positions and a strategic mountain range in the vicinity of Qarun Hadhidha, following battles described as violent with the Houthis, which resulted in deaths and injuries among their ranks, the destruction of military vehicles and equipment, and the seizure of weapons and ammunition.
These developments come as an extension of previous military operations in the eastern highlands of Al-Jawf Governorate, where government forces were able to control strategic locations overlooking vital roads and areas, and approaching the defense lines surrounding the city of Al-Hazm, the center of the governorate under the control of the Houthis.
Military sources say that controlling the heights allows the forces to expand the scope of their movements and put pressure on the group’s positions and supply lines in the region.
