Heavy Battles in Lahj: Giants and Tribes Repel Houthi Offensive, Causing Displacement

The Giants Brigades and allied tribesmen from the Sabiha tribes successfully thwarted an attempted advance and flanking maneuver by the Houthi militia, Iran's arm in Yemen, on Tuesday in the northwestern fronts of Lahj Governorate. The clashes followed intense fighting in the districts of Al-Mudharaba and Ras Al-Ara.

Field sources reported that the battles were concentrated in the Al-Aghbarra, Al-Mansoura, and Al-Muhayla fronts, located approximately 30 miles east of the Bab al-Mandab strait. The Houthi militia launched an offensive against the positions of the Giants Brigades and their allied tribal fighters, employing military reinforcements, heavy artillery shelling, and dozens of drones in an attempt to breach the front lines and advance from the strategic Jabal Hawab and Jabal Naman.

The sources added that the Houthi attack coincided with ground infiltrations towards Al-Ruways and the Malbiya area in the Al-Mudharaba and Ras Al-Ara district. The Houthis reportedly aim to achieve a battlefield breakthrough that would allow them to outflank government forces advancing towards the Bab al-Mandab and Dhubab areas, and to encircle the positions of the Giants Brigades and the Shield of the Nation forces.

Defending forces reportedly repelled the militia's advance. Some units were compelled to withdraw as a precautionary measure to avoid encirclement due to attempts to flank them from the rear, prioritizing the safety of fighters and preventing human losses or the capture of personnel. In a related incident, three Houthi militia members were killed in a well-executed ambush by Sabiha tribesmen as they attempted to advance via the Al-Mansoura pass towards Barh Al-Ruways. The confrontation concluded with the seizure of a military vehicle and a 23mm caliber weapon.

On the humanitarian front, local sources indicated that the Houthi militia shelled civilian homes in the Al-Ka'lala area of Al-Mudharaba and Ras Al-Ara district with ballistic missiles. One missile reportedly fell without detonating, having targeted an area within the Sabiha region of the same district. Additionally, Houthi shelling struck the Ahmed bin Hanbal School in Al-Mudharaba and Ras Al-Ara district, resulting in its destruction. The continuous attacks and shelling by the Houthi militia on areas north of Al-Mudharaba and Ras Al-Ara district in Lahj Governorate have triggered a wave of mass displacement for thousands of families from the villages of Al-Ruways, Malbiya, Al-Aghbarra, Al-Ka'lala, Al-Muhayla, and Al-Arkama, according to rights sources.

The displaced families are facing dire humanitarian conditions, characterized by a lack of shelter and essential supplies. Numerous families have reportedly resorted to seeking refuge under trees to escape the shelling, in conditions lacking the most basic elements of life. In response, three airstrikes targeted Houthi militia positions and reinforcements in the Malbiya area of the district, reflecting the escalation of confrontations and the widening scope of military operations in the northwestern Lahj fronts. A field source emphasized that the Giants Brigades require additional military support, including modern weaponry, artillery, Kornet missiles, and consistent, heavy air cover, to counter Houthi attacks and thwart attempts to outflank and advance towards strategic positions overlooking the Bab al-Mandab strait.