Cairo, Sept 20. (dpa/GNA) – Heavy fighting between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia and forces loyal to the internationally recognized government, continued on Sunday, with government troops retaking several areas in the western province of Taiz, military sources said.
The mountainous region overlooks the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Neither side has achieved a decisive breakthrough or strategic victory in the contested areas, however.
Observers in Taiz described the fighting as a back-and-forth battle with no significant advances. An army spokesman said government forces had also destroyed Houthi artillery positions in the province of Marib.
Meanwhile, Saudi fighter jets attacked a transmission tower in Yemen’s al-Jawf province, according to the Houthis. Saudi forces also shelled targets in the northern province of Saada near the Saudi border, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television channel reported. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the conflict.
The Houthis recently advanced southwards in a rapid offensive, capturing the Red Sea coastal city of Mokha among other areas. They are currently fighting the Giants Brigades, a militia allied with the government, in the Kahbub mountains in south-western Yemen. The Giants Brigades reported fresh attacks on Houthi positions, vehicles and barracks and said they had shot down several Houthi drones.
The Houthi advance has strengthened the militia’s ability to threaten commercial shipping around the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The group has also renewed attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.
The United States, a key Saudi ally, has so far refrained from intervening again with strikes in Yemen.
The US military repeatedly bombed Houthi targets in Yemen in 2025 in an effort to halt the group’s attacks on shipping.
Washington ended the campaign in May of that year following mediation by Oman.
GNA