Yemeni military forces blocked a Houthi offensive targeting the strategic Jabal Han location west of Taiz. Colonel Abdul Basit al-Bahr confirmed the engagement in an official statement.
Colonel al-Bahr serves as the deputy head of the Moral Guidance Department at the army’s Taiz Military Axis. He stated that government troops thwarted the assault "after hours of the fiercest clashes and most intense fighting."
The attacking forces set fire to Jabal Han, the entire western front, and nearby residential neighborhoods with a barrage of shells and heavy artillery fire, according to the military official.
The military statement did not provide immediate details regarding casualties or material losses. The Houthi movement offered no immediate comment on the reports.
Al-Jumhuriya Channel reported that airstrikes targeted the Bani Bakkari area within the Jabal Habashi district of Taiz governorate. The raids destroyed communications network towers belonging to the Houthi group.
Jabal Han holds high strategic importance for military control in the region. The high ground overlooks the Al-Dhabab road, the sole vital route connecting Taiz with Lahj governorate and the interim capital of Aden to the south.
Human rights and humanitarian organizations report that the Houthis have shut down most major roads leading into government-controlled areas within Taiz governorate. These groups accuse the movement of maintaining a strict siege on Taiz city since 2015 and blocking aid convoys from reaching residents. The Houthis deny these allegations.
The fresh fighting follows the "Dawn of Yemen" military operation. Yemen’s internationally recognized government launched the offensive earlier this month to retake Houthi-held territories, including the capital Sanaa.
A Saudi-led military coalition backs the ongoing government offensive. This support has escalated hostilities across multiple fronts, with particular intensity in Taiz as both sides battle for control of critical supply routes and vantage points.
Yemen has suffered a severe conflict since 2014, when the Houthi movement seized control of Sanaa and forced the government out of the capital. The Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily the following year to restore the government.
