Yemeni government forces launch operation against Houthis to seize Al-Wazi’iyah in Taiz

Yemen government forces recapture strategic areas from Houthis, killing, wounding or capturing dozens of fighters

Yemeni government forces on Tuesday launched a “large-scale” military operation against the Houthis to seize the Al-Wazi’iyah district in the southwestern Taiz province.

The Nation’s Shield Forces said the offensive was launched as part of the broader Dawn of Yemen operations.

It said the operation aims to restore state institutions and end the Houthi “coup”.

The forces later said they had taken control of strategic hilltops overlooking Al-Mansoura as Houthi fighters retreated from the area during the offensive.

Local sources told state-run Aljoumhouriya TV that warplanes struck Houthi reinforcements near the centre of the Al-Wazi’iyah district.

Meanwhile, government forces continued advancing for a second consecutive day on the southern front of the Marib province as part of the Dawn of Yemen operation, Yemen TV reported.

A military source told the Armed Forces Media Centre that government troops drove Houthi forces from large areas and several strategic positions, including the Thamad, Al-Qaima, and Al-Muqaylat mountain ranges, as well as Aqad al-Qaima, Al-Rasid, and surrounding desert areas.

The source said dozens of Houthi fighters were killed, wounded, or captured in the fighting, while government forces destroyed three weapons positions and disabled military vehicles, causing additional casualties among those aboard.

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Government air defences also downed a Houthi drone during the fighting, the source added.

Operation on several fronts

Operation Dawn of Yemen was launched on Monday. Presidential Leadership Council Chair Rashad al-Alimi said the offensive aims to restore state institutions, retake the capital Sanaa, and end Houthi control.

The operation has since expanded across several fronts. Government forces said they retook the strategic Bab el-Mandeb area and Dhubab district, while Southern Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces took part in advances along Yemen’s western coast.

The Saudi-led coalition said 100 fighter jets took part in the opening phase of the operation and that 324 “high-value targets” had been destroyed, while providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni government forces.

On Tuesday, the Yemeni army said around 100 Houthi fighters were killed and 150 others wounded in Monday’s operations across Taiz as part of Dawn of Yemen, while government forces also reported retaking several strategic mountain positions in the province.

Local sources told Aljoumhouriya TV that warplanes struck Houthi reinforcements near the centre of the Al-Wazi’iyah district.

The latest escalation is among the most significant rounds of fighting in Yemen since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022 ushered in a period of relative calm.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.