Yemeni Forces Thwart Houthi Missile and Drone Assaults Across Taiz and Hodeidah

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia launched 14 ballistic missiles alongside concurrent drone attacks targeting Red Sea coastal regions in the Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, according to government forces on Thursday. The Yemeni Armed Forces reported that newly acquired air defences successfully shot down several drones in Taiz.

The army stated that the ballistic missiles had no impact on the combat operations theatre of the forces stationed on the western coast, noting that ground battles against the Houthis remain ongoing. This escalation follows months of increased Houthi attacks on government positions and Saudi infrastructure, heightening concerns over a potential return to full-scale conflict four years after a fragile truce was established. Although the UN-mediated truce expired shortly after its 2022 agreement, large-scale fighting had previously remained largely dormant.

Yemeni political activist Riyadh Aldubai warned that the ongoing wave of rebel assaults represents a deliberate war by Houthi militias to devastate economic institutions and Yemen's infrastructure, highlighting attacks on the government-held Mokha port in Taiz. Meanwhile, officials note that the Houthis have bolstered their military capabilities and expanded smuggling networks into the Horn of Africa through collaboration with the Al Shabab militant group in Somalia, an Al Qaeda affiliate, to secure new revenue streams.

Yemen's Minister of Information, Moammar Eryani, posted on X that the nation faces a cross-border network exchanging weapons, expertise, training, and technology with terrorist groups. He cautioned that this network threatens Bab Al Mandeb, crucial trade routes, and global energy supplies. Mr Eryani emphasized that the Houthi threat now endangers regional and international security beyond Yemen and Red Sea shipping lanes, urging the international community to provide political, military, security, and intelligence support to the government. These developments followed testimony from Yemen experts who urged the US Congress on Tuesday to support the Yemeni government against the Houthis.