SANAA, SEP 11: The Iran-backed Houthi militia has intensified its attacks in Yemen in recent days, firing five ballistic missiles toward areas in the south and west of Taiz province, triggering panic among residents and forcing dozens of families to flee.
Local residents said the missiles were launched from Jabal Oman, east of Taiz, toward areas around Bab al-Mandeb, Hayjat al-Abd and Ras al-Ara in the south and west of the province, according to an Al Arabiya correspondent.
Sources also said on Friday that two strikes targeted Houthi gatherings near Mokha airport, south of the city.
Bab al-Mandeb Strait
Two Yemeni government sources said Houthi forces had reached the city of Dhubab, which lies directly on the Bab al-Mandab Strait opposite Mayun Island, Reuters reported.
Another government source told AFP that the militia had deployed on the strategic island of Mayun, located in the middle of the strait.
Displacement and alleged abuses
At the same time, reports of Houthi abuses against civilians have increased in al-Wazi’iyah and Mawza in Taiz province and Hays in Hodeidah province, where the fighting has triggered a major wave of displacement.
Residents said arrest campaigns and raids on homes forced more than 150 families to leave and head toward the Bani Omar area south of Taiz, which is controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
In Hodeidah province, Houthi forces also raided the offices of several humanitarian organizations amid what local sources described as an escalation against civilians and aid workers.
The developments came after the Houthis renewed attacks around Mokha, while government forces repositioned and reinforced their presence along Yemen’s western coast.
Government forces also sent reinforcements from Mokha toward the Dhubab area in Taiz province.
Yemen’s National Defense Council said on Thursday evening that any “temporary” Houthi advance on the ground would not give the group the right to impose a new reality by force. It stressed that the state and armed forces were capable of regaining the initiative and continuing what it called a “deterrence operation” across multiple fronts.
Clashes between the Houthis and government forces erupted a week ago and have been the fiercest since a truce was reached in 2022.
At least 500 people, most of them fighters, have been killed in the fighting, according to AFP.
The violence has also displaced at least 20,000 people, according to the United Nations. Thousands of residents from Mokha and surrounding areas have fled toward the southern city of Aden, where the government is based.
