Clashes between the army and the Houthis and the arrival of government forces in the battle areas

The National Resistance Forces of the Yemeni government announced on Thursday evening that its forces are engaged in violent fighting with the Ansar Allah group, the “Houthis”, in the south of Hodeidah province in the west of the country.

The 2 December agency, the spokesman for the National Resistance, reported that the 1st National Resistance Division was involved in violent clashes with the Houthis as it attempted to approach Jabal Deba, south of Hodeidah.

He added that “heroes of the 13th Infantry Brigade in the 1st National Resistance Division are fighting battles with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps south of Hodeida,” without elaborating.

State television reported that Giants and National Shield forces had arrived in the region to support the Taiz and Sahel fronts.

Al-Jumhuriya Channel also reported that there are heavy clashes between the armed forces and the Houthi militia on the eastern front.

The head of Yemen’s Presidential Command Council, Rashad al-Alim, said the armed forces are at the highest level of readiness to deal with Houthi escalation on the Taiz front, adding that government forces are not neglecting their duty to protect civilians.

Al-Alim stressed that the Houthi attacks will not change the equation of power and deterrence or make new gains on the ground, warning that “the Yemeni people and their forces are more determined to topple the coup and restore state institutions.”

While he urged tribesmen in Houthi-controlled areas not to involve their children in the group’s wars, al-Alim noted that “continuing to push the Yemeni people to fight serves the Iranian regime’s agenda in the region.”

Yesterday, Thursday, the state-run Saba news agency reported that around 50 Houthi members were killed and wounded and several others captured during violent clashes with the armed forces on the Maqbana and Al-Qada fronts west of Taiz.

Clashes between government forces and the Houthi group have resumed since early last July in several governorates, including Marib (central) and al-Jawf (north), as well as al-Daliyah and Taiz.

Since April 2022, Yemen has witnessed a lull in the war that began about 12 years ago between government forces and the Houthis, who have controlled several governorates and cities – including the capital Sanaa – since September 21, 2014.