Yemeni army says over 35 Houthi fighters killed or wounded in Taiz

Army says its operations targeted Houthi positions; Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted 11 Houthi drones

Yemen’s army said Friday that more than 35 fighters of the Houthi group were killed or wounded in a military operation targeting the group’s positions in southwestern Taiz province.

In a statement, the army’s 35th Armored Brigade said its forces carried out a “swift and targeted operation” against Houthi positions and fortifications along the Aqrouz front in the Al-Misrakh district.

It said the operation targeted positions at Jabal Al-Manara, Kour, Wadi Kour, Al-Maqda, Al-Dabaya and Kahlan, leaving “more than 35 Houthi fighters killed or wounded.”

Read: Death toll from Houthi attack on Yemen training camp rises to 7

The statement did not specify the number of fatalities or injuries.

The operation also disabled a military vehicle equipped with weapons and destroyed Houthi fortifications at the targeted sites, it added.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the Yemeni army’s account.

Taiz province has witnessed fierce fighting between the Yemeni army and the Houthis for weeks, killing and wounding hundreds on both sides.

Taiz holds strategic importance as a geographic bridge and a vital link between Yemen’s northern provinces.

Control of the province would mean control over supply routes and key transport corridors connecting the interim capital, Aden, with the country’s central and northern provinces.

These developments are part of a military escalation that began in July and is considered the most extensive since the relative calm that followed a truce launched in April 2022.

Since Oct. 5, Yemeni government forces have been conducting Operation Dawn of Yemen, which Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said aims to regain control of state institutions from the Houthis and recapture the capital Sanaa.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi group said that its air defences intercepted and destroyed 11 drones and a ballistic missile.

The drones were intercepted over Riyadh, Medina, the Eastern Province and the southern region, while the ballistic missile was intercepted as it headed toward Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in statements posted on the X.

In its latest statement on Thursday, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed two drones launched toward the southern region.

التحالف:

الدفاع الجوي اعترض ودمر صاروخ باليستي أطلقته الميليشيا الحوثية باتجاه الرياض. pic.twitter.com/PzRExEmYbM

— المتحدث الرسمي باسم قوات التحالف (@CJFCSpox) October 23, 2026

Earlier, it reported the interception of four drones over Riyadh and Medina, one over Riyadh and four over the Eastern Province.

The statements did not provide details on where the drones were launched from or whether the interceptions caused damage or injuries.

The announcements came a day after Saudi authorities reported that four people had been killed in attacks in the country’s Eastern Province.

Two died from falling debris after air defences thwarted an attempted drone strike on an Aramco oil facility, while two others were killed in an attack targeting King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

Also Read: Saudi-led coalition intercepts, destroys drone in Riyadh region

The coalition also reported intercepting seven drones Wednesday, including one heading toward the southern region and six over Medina and the Eastern Province.

Separately, Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics has postponed the United Nations Global Data Forum and the Second Saudi Statistical Forum, previously scheduled for November 9 to 12, 2026, in Riyadh, to 2027, the authority said in a statement.

Oil spill from tanker hits Umm Al Quwain coast, beaches shut

An oil spill from a tanker was detected off the coast of Umm Al Quwain, prompting containment operations and environmental assessments, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said on Friday.

The ministry said all beaches and coastal areas in Umm Al Quwain had been temporarily closed until technical teams completed their assessments and determined the necessary safety and marine protection measures.

The ministry also urged fishermen and other sea users to avoid affected areas and follow official instructions.

The announcement followed reports of a strange odour by residents in some emirates on social media. The ministry said that odours reported by residents in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain posed no health risks to them.

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

The Houthis control much of northern and western Yemen, while government forces and their allies hold Aden and large parts of the country’s southern and eastern provinces