Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces said on Thursday that air strikes had targeted Houthi positions and supplies in Taiz province, as fighting intensifies near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The Yemeni army’s media centre said its air forces struck Houthi supplies and positions in the cities of Taiz and Mokha. Earlier in the day, the military said it had repelled a Houthi attack and targeted the group’s positions and reinforcements in the same province.
The Houthis did not immediately respond to the army’s claims, and details of casualties or damage were not provided.
Government forces say they have stepped up attacks on Houthi positions and gatherings across several provinces in recent weeks, with Taiz emerging as a major focus of the renewed fighting.
Clashes have intensified particularly along Yemen’s western coast. The Houthis have recently taken control of strategic areas in Hodeidah and Taiz provinces, including Mokha, as well as Red Sea islands including Mayyun, which lies in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Government forces, meanwhile, have reported advances in Al-Jawf province towards the provincial capital, Al-Hazm. Fighting is also continuing in Marib, Al-Dhale and Al-Bayda.
The latest escalation began in July and has developed into the most extensive fighting since the relative calm that followed the April 2022 truce. Hostilities have increased further this month, particularly along the Red Sea coast and around Bab al-Mandab, a crucial route for international shipping.
Yemen has endured conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and other parts of the country in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.