Yemeni forces repel Houthi infiltration attempt in Taiz, killing 5 fighters

Five Houthi fighters were killed and a drone was downed as Yemeni government forces repelled a Houthi infiltration attempt across several fronts in Taiz governorate, the army said Sunday.

The army said the attempted infiltration occurred in the strategic Mount Han area west of Taiz city.

State-run Yemen TV said government troops also inflicted casualties and material losses on Houthi fighters during two hours of fighting on the Al-Barah front, while artillery struck Houthi positions on the Al-Salw front in the southeast of the governorate.

The broadcaster added that government air defenses shot down a Houthi drone that was attempting to target a military training camp south of Taiz.

Yemen's official Saba news agency also reported clashes on the Al-Aneen front in Jabal Habashi district after what it described as another Houthi infiltration attempt, leaving three Houthi fighters killed or wounded.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthi group on the reported clashes.

Despite a relative lull since April 2022, intermittent clashes have continued between government forces and the Houthis, who have controlled the capital Sanaa and other parts of Yemen since September 2014.

Fighting has intensified across several front lines since early July, marking the deadliest escalation since 2022 and leaving dozens of fighters dead and wounded on both sides.

On July 25, the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government announced airstrikes on Houthi positions in Al Hudaydah governorate and Kamaran Island in western Yemen for the first time since 2022.

The Houthis said the same day that they had targeted sites and facilities inside Saudi Arabia with drones.