Arabic version: القوات اليمنية والحوثيون يتبادلون الهجمات

According to Al Jazeera, government forces carried out 81 attacks on Houthi positions across Yemen in the past 24 hours, while the Houthis announced two drone attacks in Saudi Arabia’s Najran province.

Government spokesperson Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said the operations led to the “neutralisation” of a number of Houthi fighters and field commanders. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said drones had “successfully” hit a target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility in the province. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm the reported attacks.

Fighting has intensified over the past month, with the government reporting hundreds of operations against the Houthis and the deaths of many fighters. Fire exchanges and drone attacks have been reported across nearly the entire frozen front line, although neither side has reported large-scale offensive operations. Both sides have reported missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure, including ports and airports, behind front lines.

The Houthis seized much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014, triggering years of conflict with the internationally recognised government, which is now based in Aden and backed by a Saudi-led coalition. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted fighting, but the latest attacks raise concerns of a return to large-scale conflict. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk called on both sides to halt actions that could return Yemen to full-scale war. The UN says at least 18 million people in Yemen lack reliable access to enough food.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that Saudi Arabia would be unable to contain the Houthis as the group increases attacks on the kingdom. Separately, the United Kingdom’s maritime security monitor reported that six armed people boarded a tanker off Yemen’s coast and diverted it towards Somalia.