Yemen government reports battlefield gains as fighting intensifies
Government forces say they have retaken Hais district and advanced near al-Barh, but the reported gains have not decisively altered the conflict’s balance.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government says its forces have recaptured Hais district in Hodeidah province and advanced near the al-Barh junction in western Taiz, as fighting with the Houthis intensifies.
The claims, reported by the government-controlled SABA news agency and a Yemeni Information Ministry official, have not been independently confirmed. The Houthis had not commented on the reported capture of Hais, which links Hodeidah, Taiz and Ibb provinces.
The reported advances come as Houthi forces retain control of Sanaa and other areas. They have also moved around Taiz and towards the government-held port of al-Makha, as well as territory near the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The escalation has carried a significant humanitarian cost. More than 60 people, including civilians, were reportedly killed in clashes in Taiz on Saturday, while the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said about 1,800 families had been displaced over two days. AFP, citing military sources, reported that 26 government soldiers were killed in several hours of fighting.
The renewed clashes follow a period of relative calm after a UN-brokered truce in April 2022. Although the government says the latest operations could help restore control over territory, the Houthis’ continued hold over major areas and the scale of government losses underline how contested the battlefield remains.
