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Yemen's internationally recognized government is reinforcing defensive positions around its interim capital, Aden, as Iran-backed Houthi forces advance toward the province and seize strategic hilltops overlooking the area, three military officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Government forces have been ordered to establish fortifications west and north of Aden as the Houthis consolidate territorial gains near the Red Sea and push eastward toward the Gulf of Aden, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
"We received high-level directives to establish military fortifications west and north of Aden Governorate, as the threat to the government's interim capital draws nearer," one of the military officials said.
The defensive preparations include stacking sandbags and digging tunnels, according to the sources.
The developments come amid renewed fighting across Yemen following the collapse of a fragile truce in July, with hostilities intensifying after government forces lost control of the Red Sea coastline along the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait in September.
Houthi fighters have been advancing through al-Madaribah wal Ara district, which borders Aden province, taking control of strategic hilltops overlooking the government's interim capital, the military officials said.
One official described the fortification efforts as a precautionary measure that should have been undertaken earlier.
A third source, a military officer stationed in the area, said the Houthis had captured large parts of al-Madaribah wal Ara and were advancing east of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait toward the Gulf of Aden coastline.
The officer also reported that Houthi forces had seized al-Maqatirah, a mountainous area containing a key road leading to Taiz, where the group has maintained a siege for weeks.
The reported capture has complicated government efforts to retake Taiz while potentially allowing the Houthis to expand their advances through al-Madaribah, according to the source.
Government forces have repeatedly attempted to recapture the Red Sea coastline but have failed to regain control, according to military and Houthi sources.
Fighting over the past several days has killed dozens of combatants on both sides, the sources said.
The territorial claims and battlefield casualty figures could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Houthis said two people were killed and four others wounded in an artillery attack they attributed to Saudi forces near Yemen's northern border.
Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah television reported that the attack targeted an area opposite Shada district in Saada province.
The broadcaster also claimed that Saudi warplanes had resumed strikes in Shamayatayn district in southwestern Taiz province.
Citing a local source, al-Masirah said two airstrikes targeted the town of Turbah.
It added that Saudi aircraft had previously carried out four strikes on Hajma Pass in the Makarimah area of the same district.
The reports did not provide independent confirmation of the casualties or details of the alleged Saudi military operations.
Yemen's latest escalation follows the breakdown of a fragile ceasefire that had brought relative calm to the country after 2022.
Hostilities resumed in July amid the U.S.-Iran war after the Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in Sanaa despite Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, triggering a series of military confrontations.
The Houthis subsequently announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and launched attacks targeting Saudi airports, vessels and oil infrastructure.
The group later captured Yemen's remaining Red Sea coastline, including areas around the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis have also reported repeated Saudi airstrikes against territory under their control.
Aden, which has served as the internationally recognized government's interim capital since the Houthis seized Sanaa, has faced repeated attacks since fighting resumed, including strikes targeting the presidential palace complex and a military base at the airport.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several other provinces in September 2014.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government, setting the stage for a prolonged conflict that has continued despite repeated diplomatic efforts and periods of reduced fighting.
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