Clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis intensified again on Tuesday across several fronts in the country. Three civilians and a soldier were killed in reciprocal attacks, while the two sides accused each other of carrying out attacks.
Three civilians killed in Hudaydah
The pro-government National Resistance Forces announced that three civilians, including a child, were killed in two ballistic missile strikes on the Huhah district south of Hudaydah. The forces said search-and-rescue operations were continuing.
The National Resistance Forces also announced that two sisters were injured after a house was targeted in Hudaydah’s Hays district.
Attack and infiltration attempt on Taiz fronts
The Yemeni army announced that Houthi forward positions and command centers on the al-Salvo front southeast of Taiz had been struck by drones. The army claimed that the attacks hit their targets and that there were dead and wounded among the Houthis.
The army said it had also thwarted an infiltration attempt by Houthi-linked elements on the al-Anin front in Taiz’s Jabal Habashi district.
Attack on a military position in Shabwa
The government-affiliated Shabwa Defense Forces announced that operations had been carried out against Houthi positions on the Harib, Ain, Bayhan and Merkhah al Ulya fronts in Shabwa province.
The forces said the operation was conducted in response to a drone attack targeting a military position. The statement said Saleh Abdullah Saleh Bureyma, a member of the Shabwa Defense Forces, was killed in the attack; Houthi personnel and military vehicles were targeted in the counteroperations.
Claim of Iranian-made missiles in attacks on Maha Port
Sadiq Duwayd, spokesman for the National Resistance Forces, said technical examinations of missile debris from attacks on Maha Port and Yemen’s western coast showed that the missiles were Iranian-made Fateh-110 ballistic missiles.
Duwayd argued that the missiles, said to use solid fuel and have a range of 300 kilometers, could be launched from mobile launchers or camouflaged commercial vehicles. The spokesman also accused Iran of sending missiles to Yemen.
Government reports say previous Houthi attacks on Maha Port caused the port to become completely inoperable and resulted in approximately $16 million in material damage.
Claim that foreigners were transporting equipment south of Sana’a
Yemeni Deputy Defense Minister Samir al-Sabri said citizens had informed him that foreign individuals were transporting missile and drone equipment south of Sana’a. No information was provided about the individuals’ nationalities.
Al-Sabri claimed that Houthi-linked elements were protecting the individuals and ensuring their security.
Houthis claim attack on refinery in Jizan
The Houthis claimed that an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region of southern Saudi Arabia had been targeted with numerous drones. In a statement by the Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency, attributed to an unnamed military source, the attack was claimed to have been carried out in response to violations of Saudi airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah.
The same statement also claimed that government forces had attacked the al-Aqmah area of the Makbana district west of Taiz with Katyusha rockets.
National Defense Council raises readiness level
Hours before the clashes, Yemen’s National Defense Council held an expanded meeting in the capital, Riyadh. The meeting was attended by Presidential Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi, Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani, Parliament Speaker Sultan al-Barakani and council members.
The council ordered that military and security preparedness be maintained at the highest level on various fronts, that the early-warning system be strengthened, and that measures to protect critical facilities and civilian settlements be increased.
The council also called for expanding air and missile defense operations against sources of threats, establishing coordination among different military formations, and intensifying intelligence activities.
Pressure on the truce is mounting
Clashes between government forces and affiliated units and the Houthis have continued intermittently since early July. Dozens of people on both sides were killed and wounded during this period.
The new clashes have increased pressure on the future of the truce that has been in effect since April 2022, following the establishment of the Presidential Council. The government forces are backed by a Saudi-led coalition, while accusations that Iran provides support to the Houthis continue.
