As fighting intensified in Yemen, the army said more than 20 airstrikes had been carried out against the Houthis in the central province of Al Bayda. The statement said the strikes caused heavy losses in personnel and equipment.
The Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center said the operations targeted Houthi positions, gathering areas, vehicles, missile launchers and a communications system in the districts of Al Zahir, Dhi Na’im, Al Sawadiyah and Mukayras.
The pro-government Giants Brigades said a Houthi first-person-view attack drone had been shot down before reaching its target. The group’s statement did not specify where the drone was intercepted or which target it had been heading toward.
The Houthis did not comment on the claims that airstrikes had been carried out or that the drone had been shot down.
The Yemeni army also said that warplanes had struck dozens of Houthi trucks allegedly carrying weapons, ammunition and missiles from Taiz to the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, on the same day.
The Houthis announced that they had made advances on the country’s western coast, while government forces said they had advanced in the northern province of Al Jawf. Government forces also said attacks had been carried out against Houthi positions in Taiz, Lahij and Al Dhale.
Fighting has continued in Yemen since the Houthis seized control of Sanaa and some provinces in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government.