Clashes between Yemen’s government forces and the Houthis have intensified again in the provinces of Taiz, Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda in recent days. The sides have carried out reciprocal attacks in different parts of the country, while Houthi positions have been targeted in airstrikes.
Two people killed in Hays district
The Hudaydah Provincial Media Office, affiliated with the government, announced that two people from the villages of Dar al-Harbi and Mahwa Yasin were killed in a Houthi mortar attack in Hays district, south of Hudaydah.
The government-affiliated Giants Brigades also announced that attacks had been carried out against locations where Houthi elements were gathered on the front along Yemen’s western coast. The statement did not identify the areas where the attacks took place, but included footage showing Houthi militants and military vehicles being targeted.
The Giants Brigades said a Houthi vehicle was hit in Al-Bayda province and that the people inside were killed. The brigades had also announced the previous evening that they had shot down a Houthi drone in Al-Bayda.
Clashes in Al-Wazi'iyah and Murays
According to a report by the December 2 agency, which is run by Yemen’s government-affiliated National Resistance Forces, the Yemeni army halted the advance of Houthi forces in Al-Wazi'iyah district of Taiz province. Ali al-Zarafi, director-general of Al-Wazi'iyah district, said residents had joined the armed forces in confronting the Houthis and would not allow them to retake the area.
Following developments in Al-Wazi'iyah, which is strategically important because of its proximity to Bab al-Mandab, a Yemeni government-affiliated television channel reported that the army had repelled a Houthi attack in the Murays area of Al-Dhale province. The channel also reported that government forces had launched a counterattack against Houthi positions after the assault.
Reinforcements sent to Mokha
Abdulrahman al-Lahiji, commander of the government-affiliated Homeland Shield Forces, arrived in Mokha, near Bab al-Mandab, to strengthen the campaign against the Houthis along the western coast.
Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, had announced that 73 people were wounded in attacks carried out by the Iran-backed Houthis against civilian and commercial facilities in the Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran.
Control situation in Yemen
The Houthis have controlled the capital, Sanaa, as well as parts of Yemen since September 2014. The Saudi-led coalition has supported the Yemeni government since March 2015.
