The key facts

  • The Giants Brigades announced repelling a Houthi attack in the Al-Mudhariba district of Lahj province
  • IOM: more than 340,000 people have left their homes since August due to the escalation
  • Saba reported airstrikes in Taiz and the seizure of a large shipment of drone components; the Houthis did not comment

Fighting in Lahj and Taiz

Yemeni government forces said on Saturday that they repelled a Houthi attack in the southwestern province of Lahj. The Giants Brigades reported repelling the assault in the Al-Mudhariba district and published a video on Facebook which, according to them, shows Houthi fighters retreating. At the same time, the state agency Saba reported airstrikes on Houthi reinforcements in Wadi al-Sahya in the Ash-Shamaytayn district of Taiz province; the agency gave no details, and the Houthis did not comment on either this report or another announcement — the seizure by security forces of a large shipment of drone components which, according to the agency, were being sent to the Houthis. The location and timing of this operation were not specified.

Humanitarian consequences and course of the operation

The International Organization for Migration said on Friday that the military escalation since August has forced more than 340,000 people to leave their homes. Lahj borders the temporary capital Aden to the north and west: key roads linking Aden with other regions run through the province, and part of its districts lies near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden. In Taiz, according to an Anadolu correspondent, the Houthis in recent weeks have advanced in the rural and coastal districts of Al-Mokha, Ash-Shamaytayn, Al-Maafir, Jabal Habashi and Al-Wazi'iya, and now control most of the province — the most populous in the country (about 12% of the population), which links the northern provinces, including Ibb and Sanaa, with the southern ones, including Lahj and Aden. The government holds the city of Taiz and other parts of the province, while a number of districts remain contested.

Context of the escalation

The Yemeni Armed Forces pledged to continue operations under the 'Dawn of Yemen' campaign, launched on October 5 and, according to Presidential Council head Rashad al-Alimi, aimed at restoring state institutions and returning the capital Sanaa from Houthi control. Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has intensified since July, especially in Taiz province, which overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The escalation ended a period of relative calm that had lasted since April 2022 and worsened the humanitarian crisis in the country. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting the internationally recognized government against the Houthis since 2015; the Houthis have controlled Sanaa and a number of other provinces since 2014.