Yemeni Government Forces Launch Air and Ground Offensive in Taiz Province — Dozens of Houthi Fighters Killed, Including Commanders

Yemeni government forces have carried out a series of air and ground operations in the southwestern province of Taiz, striking Houthi rebel positions and supply lines, the country’s government announced, as Al Jazeera reports.

According to the Yemeni government’s Military Media Center, dozens of Houthi fighters, including field commanders, were killed in the operations, while several military vehicles were damaged. The center added that government forces also repelled Houthi attacks in northern Taiz province.

The fighting comes amid an escalation on the Yemeni front of the wider regional conflict: the Iran-backed Houthis are facing the internationally recognized government’s forces and the Saudi-led coalition, as the battle for control of the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait continues.

Al Jazeera notes it has been unable to independently verify the battlefield claims. Taiz province has for years been one of the hottest flashpoints of Yemen’s civil war, and Sunday’s operations follow strikes a day earlier, when government forces said they hit Houthi columns and ammunition depots in the same province.