Newsletters
Yemen’s internationally recognized government launched airstrikes Friday on Houthi positions and military equipment along the country’s western coast, including areas around Mocha, a day after the army declared the Taiz-Mocha road area a military zone.
Army spokesman Majid al-Nuzaili urged civilians to avoid the Taiz-Mocha and Mocha-Dhubab roads until further notice.
“Civilians must not use the prohibited roads until further notice,” al-Nuzaili wrote on X.
State-run Aljoumhouriya TV reported strikes on Houthi positions in Mocha, Khalid camp and Jabal al-Nar.
One strike targeted what sources described as a large gathering of Houthis inside the compound of a water and sanitation project in Mocha, while other strikes hit the Souq al-Kharj area in Al-Hali, according to the broadcaster.
Aljoumhouriya TV separately reported heavy airstrikes against Houthi military equipment in the coastal district of Dhubab al-Mandab.
The attacks came after the Houthis seized Mocha and its Red Sea port, giving them control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and allowing them to advance toward areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Taiz-Mocha road is a key supply route, and the government military designated the surrounding area a military zone Thursday following the Houthi takeover.
Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has intensified since clashes resumed in early July after years of relative calm.
The Houthis say they now control all of Al-Hudaydah province and have advanced in western Taiz.
Government forces, meanwhile, have made gains in the northern province of Al-Jawf near the Saudi border and moved closer to Al-Hazm, the provincial capital. Fighting also continues in Marib, Al-Bayda and Al-Dhalea.
Yemen had seen relative calm since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014.
Since late 2023, following the start of the Gaza war, the Houthis have increasingly taken part in regional hostilities by attacking Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
