Intense fighting erupted across Taiz province on Thursday, marking the most significant escalation in years as government forces successfully repelled Houthi attempts to encircle the governorate. Coordinated military operations across multiple fronts, from rural areas to the city's outskirts, thwarted the militia's ambitions to impose a complete blockade. The developments occurred amidst a substantial increase in Houthi offensive actions, with the militia deploying large troop concentrations in a desperate bid for territorial gains. These efforts ignited fierce confrontations across all fronts. In the Al-Aqrosh front, located in the Al-Misrakh district southeast of Taiz, government forces announced the successful thwarting of a large-scale infiltration attempt and the repulsion of concentrated Houthi assault waves. Official figures from the Taiz axis indicated that direct engagements and ambushes resulted in the deaths of 30 Houthi fighters and wounded 50 others. Several combat vehicles supporting the infiltrators were also destroyed. Simultaneously, ground resistance was bolstered by extensive air support. Warplanes and drones conducted precise strikes against Houthi gatherings and vehicles in the Al-Akbush, Al-Ahkum, and Haifan fronts in the south of the province. Targeted attacks hit the Tabbat Al-Senterall heights and positions overlooking the Al-Khazja area. Unmanned aerial vehicles also executed precise strikes in the Al-Kadha front in the western countryside, destroying a 120mm artillery piece and igniting an ammunition depot used to supply the assaults. The western and northwestern rural fronts also witnessed intense engagements, particularly in the Bani Bukari front in Jabal Habashi district and the Himyar front in Maqbanah district. In an apparent effort to compensate for casualties, the Houthi militia launched heavy artillery shelling targeting government positions in Al-Sayahi, Hadharaan, Al-Dhabab, Jabal Hann, and the Ghurab and Yassin hills. Army artillery units reportedly monitored and neutralized the sources of fire with successful counter-battery strikes. In the eastern and southern sectors, particularly in the Samea district, national army forces thwarted a surprise Houthi attack, forcing the militia to retreat and clearing infiltrated positions. A captured armored vehicle and another military vehicle were seized. Fierce battles are ongoing in the Bani Omar area of the Al-Shamaytayn district, near the city of Turbah, as government forces work to secure the vital city perimeter. This defense holds despite intermittent ballistic missile launches by the Houthi militia targeting the vicinity of Turbah, in a desperate attempt to sever the Lahj-Tor Al-Baha-Turbah supply line, the last remaining lifeline for Taiz city. These significant battlefield developments coincide with high-level defense ministry meetings focused on urgent and sustainable operational plans to reorganize combat fronts and provide immediate logistical support to critical confrontation axes in Taiz and other governorates. The current military assessment suggests that government forces in Taiz have successfully absorbed the militia's largest and most violent offensive wave, shifting from a defensive posture to counter-attacks that have inflicted substantial losses on the Houthi forces in both personnel and equipment. |
