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Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) on October 9 completed taking control of Jabal Habashi district in Taiz province, expelling Saudi-backed forces as fighting continued across southwestern Yemen.
Taiz Today, a Houthi-aligned outlet, quoted a military source as saying the group had secured the entire district. The claim came amid continuing clashes in the surrounding mountains, where government-aligned forces reported Saudi strikes against Houthi positions in Jabal Habashi and nearby areas.
Houthi fighters were also reported to have entered al-Misrakh, the administrative center of the district of the same name, but Saudi-backed forces said they retook the town shortly afterward.
The fighting extended to al-Shariq, Wadi al-Ahmar, Wadi Hinna and al-Nawazil, while Houthi forces attempted to advance toward the Mufraq Jabal Habashi road junction, according to government-aligned reporting.
All in all, the Houthis had completed the encirclement of Taiz city, cutting its approaches, including the western route. Taiz Today reported that negotiations with the Islah party, the dominant force in the province, over a proposed peaceful handover had stalled over disagreements about heavy weapons and prisoners.
Separately, Al Jazeera reported Houthi advances in al-Maafir and al-Mawasit that increased pressure on the Taiz-Aden road and disrupted overland connections for government forces. It described control across several mountain fronts as unsettled.
On the western coast, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said earlier in the day that the group had repelled a second attempt by Saudi-backed forces to advance from Lahj province toward the southern approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. He said the attackers were forced to retreat without making further territorial gains after Houthi forces used ballistic missiles, artillery and heavy weapons against their positions.
Houthi activists released video footage showing the group’s forces at their positions around the strait, confirming that the attack was repelled.
A source from the government-aligned Southern Giants told Agence France-Presse that fighting was continuing and that advances remained limited, acknowledging that the latest attack was very much a failure.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a vital international shipping route, making the competing claims of control significant for military operations along Yemen’s western coast.
All in all, the Houthis maintain the upper hand on all active fronts in southwestern Yemen. Saudi-backed forces seem incapable of regaining the initiative despite all the support they are receiving from the kingdom and its allies. This points to deep-rooted problems within the alliance.
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