Yemeni forces say Houthi attack repelled in Taiz amid escalation

What the report says

Yemeni government forces said they repelled a Houthi assault on positions along the al-Mafalis front south of Haifan in Taiz province, in the country’s southwest, as fighting intensified in several governorates. The account came from an official with the Tor al-Bahah military axis, which is aligned with government forces, who said the 4th Infantry Hashd Brigade pushed back the attack and that the Houthis suffered losses. A government spokesman also said air defenses intercepted Houthi reconnaissance drones over al-Makha (Mocha), a Red Sea port city.

The Al Jazeera report said the latest clashes followed a broader escalation that began after the Yemeni government announced on Wednesday that it had struck Houthi positions and gatherings with artillery and drones in multiple areas. State media and officials cited fighting around al-Fakhir market in northern al-Dhalea province, while a deputy information minister was quoted as saying government forces carried out heavy bombardment on several fronts.

The developments matter because they point to the most active fighting in Yemen since a period of relative calm that began in 2022. Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi said the government would respond to any Houthi move and signaled it does not want a new truce that repeats past failures. More broadly, the report reflects the fragile state of Yemen’s war, where localized clashes and drone activity have continued even after earlier de-escalation attempts.