Yemeni forces say they repel Houthi attacks in Taiz as fighting rages

Government forces say dozens of Houthi fighters killed and wounded in southwestern province as battles for strategic highlands continue.

Yemen's Ma'rib camps overwhelmed as thousands flee renewed fighting

Yemen’s government-aligned forces say they have repelled Houthi attacks along several fronts in the southwestern governorate of Taiz as heavy fighting continues in the Arab world’s poorest country.

Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesman for the Saudi Arabia-backed government forces, said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned Houthis launched coordinated attacks on Wednesday night in a bid to reach positions on a key road connecting the Aden, Lahj and Taiz governorates.

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But he said government forces repelled the attacks in Taiz’s Wadi al-Maqatirah area, “inflicting losses in lives and equipment”.

Government forces killed and wounded “dozens” of fighters in clashes earlier on Wednesday in the Al Ahkum area of Taiz, al-Nuzaili added in a post on X.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the government’s report.

The renewed hostilities come amid mounting regional tensions set off by the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.

The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, are fighting government-aligned forces for control of the strategic highlands in the southwest, including the Kahboub Mountains in the Taiz and Lahj governorates. They took control of the port city of Mocha and the Red Sea coast this month.

Control of the Kahboub Mountains, which overlook the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb strait and Mayyun Island in the Red Sea, would allow the Houthis to sever the coast from the remaining government-held south.

On Tuesday, government-aligned forces said they had thwarted Houthi attacks in the mountains and taken full control of Mount Qarfan , further to the east, which overlooks valleys linking southern Taiz with the western coast.

The Houthis said on Wednesday that Saudi forces had carried out 52 air strikes and missile attacks on the governorates of Hodeidah, Taiz, al-Bayda, Marib and Saada, causing deaths and injuries, including women and children.

They said Saudi forces had carried out 988 attacks since the latest escalation began, but did not say how many people had been killed. Saudi Arabia did not comment on the claim.

The Houthis have fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, including a strike on the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Saudi Civil Defence authorities issued alerts warning of potential attacks in Jazan and Najran, two provinces that border Yemen. No further details were given.

Ahmed el Shalfi, Al Jazeera’s Yemen affairs editor, said he expected the fighting to be prolonged.

“The Houthis are determined to hold on to their important gains in the western coast in Mocha and Bab al-Mandeb while the government forces are equally determined to drive them out of these places or to defend the highland positions for fire control over the coast and these areas,” he said. “So the war between the two sides is a back and forth. That could well continue and drag on and could also involve attrition on all sides.”

Aid groups said the humanitarian toll is mounting in Yemen.

The World Health Organization said this week that 674 people had been killed and almost 3,000 injured since August 6 , including 164 deaths and 516 injuries from September 13 to 18 .

At least 158,000 people have been displaced, according to Yemen’s Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons Camps.

政府军称，在西南省份，数十名胡塞武装分子被打死或受伤，争夺战略高地的战斗仍在继续。

也门马里卜难民营人满为患，数千人因战火重燃而逃离家园。

也门政府军表示，他们已在西南部塔伊兹省的多个战线上击退了胡塞武装的进攻，而在这个阿拉伯世界最贫穷的国家，激烈的战斗仍在继续。

沙特阿拉伯支持的政府军发言人马吉德·努扎伊利上校周四表示，伊朗支持的胡塞武装周三晚发动了协同攻击，企图占领连接亚丁、拉赫季和塔伊兹省的一条重要道路上的阵地。

也门政府军声称控制了塔伊兹省的卡尔凡山，这是三份名单中的第一份。

问题 2（共 3 题）：英国在沙特阿拉伯与伊朗支持的胡塞武装的战争中给予了沙特阿拉伯多大的支持？

也门政府在军事和外交上加大力度，试图扭转胡塞武装的攻势（共3项，此为第3项）

但他表示，政府军击退了塔伊兹瓦迪马卡提拉地区的袭击，“造成了人员和装备损失”。

努扎伊利在X网站上发帖称，政府军周三早些时候在塔伊兹的阿赫库姆地区发生的冲突中，造成“数十名”武装分子死亡和受伤。

胡塞武装方面尚未对政府的报告发表评论。

此次敌对行动的再次爆发，正值美国和以色列对伊朗发动战争引发地区紧张局势加剧之际。

2014年占领也门首都萨那的胡塞武装，正与政府军争夺西南部战略高地的控制权，其中包括塔伊兹省和拉赫季省的卡布布山脉。本月，他们控制了港口城市摩卡和红海沿岸地区。

控制俯瞰具有重要战略意义的曼德海峡和红海马云岛的卡布布山脉，将使胡塞武装能够切断海岸线与政府控制的南部地区的联系。

周二，政府军表示，他们挫败了胡塞武装在山区的袭击，并完全控制了更东边的卡尔凡山，该山俯瞰着连接南部塔伊兹和西部海岸的山谷。

胡塞武装周三表示，沙特军队对荷台达、塔伊兹、贝达、马里卜和萨达等省份发动了52次空袭和导弹袭击，造成人员伤亡，其中包括妇女和儿童。

他们称，自最近一次冲突升级以来，沙特军队已发动了988次袭击，但没有透露造成多少人死亡。沙特阿拉伯方面对此说法未予置评。

最近几周，胡塞武装向沙特阿拉伯发射了数十枚导弹和无人机，其中包括周六对首都利雅得的袭击。

周三，沙特民防部门发布警报，警告称与也门接壤的两个省份吉赞和纳季兰可能发生袭击事件。但未提供更多细节。

半岛电视台也门事务编辑艾哈迈德·沙尔菲表示，他预计战斗将会持续很长时间。

他说：“胡塞武装决心守住他们在摩卡和曼德海峡西海岸取得的重要战果，而政府军也同样决心将他们赶出这些地区，或者守住高地阵地，以控制沿海及周边地区的火力。因此，双方的战争陷入了拉锯战。这种情况很可能会持续下去，旷日持久，并可能导致各方都遭受消耗。”

援助组织表示，也门的人道主义危机正在加剧。

世界卫生组织本周表示，自 8 月 6 日以来，已有 674 人死亡，近 3000 人受伤，其中包括 9 月 13 日至 18 日期间的 164 人死亡和 516 人受伤。

据也门流离失所者营地管理执行单位称，至少有 158,000 人流离失所。