Yemeni Army Says 13 Airstrikes Hit Houthi Positions as Fighting Intensifies
SANAA, YEMEN — WEB DESK: Yemen’s government-aligned military said its warplanes carried out 13 airstrikes against Houthi positions, gatherings and military vehicles in central Yemen early Monday, marking another escalation in fighting after a prolonged period of relative calm in the country’s civil conflict.
According to the Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center, the strikes targeted Houthi positions in the Al-Sharyah, Dhi Na’im, Al-Bayda and Al-Sawadiyah districts of Al-Bayda governorate.
The military said a missile launcher was among the targets struck during the operation.
The claims were made by Yemen’s government forces and could not immediately be independently verified from the battlefield.
Command Centre, Surveillance System Targeted
In a separate operation in southern Al-Dhale governorate, Yemeni military aircraft struck Houthi infrastructure on Mount Nasa along the Murais front.
The army said the operation destroyed a command-and-control room and a thermal surveillance system, while Houthi gatherings in the surrounding area were also targeted.
The Yemeni military said the operations were intended to degrade Houthi command capabilities, military infrastructure and missile operations.
No independently confirmed casualty figure from the 13 strikes was immediately available. Express Urdu also reported that details of possible casualties had not been released at the time of publication.
Fighting Intensifies Across Yemen
The airstrikes come amid renewed clashes across several Yemeni fronts.
Hours earlier, government forces said they had regained positions in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah governorates during clashes in which more than 20 Houthi fighters were killed or wounded, according to the military’s account.
The army also reported airstrikes against Houthi positions in Taiz, Al-Hudaydah, Marib and Al-Jawf, indicating that the latest escalation extends well beyond Al-Bayda.
Separate reporting from the region said Houthi gatherings and barracks were also targeted on fronts south of Marib.
Relative Calm Under Increasing Pressure
Yemen has experienced a significant reduction in large-scale fighting since a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.
Although the formal truce expired later that year, many of its effects persisted, producing a period of relative calm compared with earlier phases of the conflict.
Recent fighting, however, has raised fears that Yemen could slide back towards a broader military confrontation. Reports indicate reciprocal attacks have intensified since July across multiple fronts.
The Houthis control Sanaa and large parts of northern and western Yemen, while the internationally recognised government and allied forces control significant territory elsewhere in the country.
Yemen Conflict Remains Unresolved
Yemen’s conflict escalated dramatically after the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the internationally recognised government in 2015.
Years of warfare produced one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, displacing millions of people and leaving large parts of the population dependent on humanitarian assistance.
The decline in large-scale hostilities following the 2022 truce created hopes that diplomatic negotiations could eventually produce a durable political settlement.
The latest military escalation puts that fragile stability under renewed pressure.
For now, the most important unanswered question is whether the new air and ground operations remain geographically contained or develop into sustained fighting across multiple Yemeni fronts.
Neither the reported destruction of the missile launcher and command facilities nor battlefield casualty claims should be treated as independently established until corroborated by additional sources.
