Sanaa, Oct 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) Yemen's Houthi group made fresh territorial gains in the southwestern province of Taiz, pressing its advance as the internationally recognised government announced the start of a large-scale military campaign to retake what it called the remaining Houthi-held areas.
A local security official, speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity on Sunday (local time), confirmed that Houthi fighters had entered At Turbah, a strategic government-held centre in southern Taiz province, without fighting after government forces withdrew earlier in the day.
He added that government troops and allied fighters had pulled back to mountainous positions outside At Turbah, while some retreated farther south into neighbouring Lahj province following "battlefield setbacks and losses." Houthi fighters subsequently moved into the city, deploying at key locations and its main entrances and exits.
Residents said Houthi fighters spread along major streets and around public facilities in At Turbah, while many merchants closed their shops before the group's arrival. They said the Houthis also used mosque loudspeakers to urge residents not to resist, reports Xinhua news agency.
The capture of At Turbah marks the first time the Houthis have taken control of the city since Yemen's conflict erupted in late 2014, extending the group's recent territorial gains across southwestern Yemen.
Earlier Sunday, a Yemeni military official told Xinhua that Houthi forces had advanced through parts of Ash Shamayatayn and neighbouring Al-Ma'afer districts, seizing several key positions and forcing government troops to retreat.
The Houthi advances came as Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced from the Saudi capital Riyadh the start of a large-scale military campaign to retake what he described as the remaining areas under Houthi control.
In a televised address, al-Alimi said the government was moving "from the preparation phase to the action phase" after weeks of military mobilisation.
The developments marked a rapidly shifting battlefield after years of largely frozen front lines. Since launching a major offensive in early September, the Houthis have expanded across parts of Taiz and neighbouring Lahj, seizing the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Sept. 10 and Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, a day later, while tensions have intensified in the highlands overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Yemen's conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities, but the latest territorial advances and the government's newly announced campaign have pushed the country into one of its sharpest military escalations in years.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz