Yemen’s Taiz front holds as mobilisation plans remain at an early stage
Government-aligned forces have held positions against Houthi attacks, but commanders say mobilisation has yet to bring reinforcements to the front.
Houthi forces launched intense attacks across Yemen’s Taiz governorate on Thursday, seeking to extend their recent gains along the Red Sea coast. Government-aligned forces have held their positions, with no major frontline shifts reported.
The fighting has continued since early September. Al Jazeera reports that attempts by the Houthis to seize high ground overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and roads leading inland have so far failed. The contest is increasingly focused on roads and supply lines.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council head, Rashad al-Alimi, called for general mobilisation on 25 September. A senior Taiz military official told Al Jazeera that plans include recalling and retraining reservists, alongside organising local fighters and civilian volunteers. Those measures remain at an early stage.
Government field commanders told Al Jazeera that mobilisation had not yet brought reinforcements to the front. There have also been no major shifts attributed to the call, and its battlefield impact remains unclear.
Government military spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nazili said forces carried out more than 400 strikes in 24 hours on Monday. Government officials have also reported hundreds of strikes in recent days and claimed heavy Houthi losses; those figures and claims have not been independently verified.
The government’s ability to hold the line has been linked in the reporting to defensive terrain and increased firepower. The Houthis captured stretches of the coast last month, an advance aided by weak coordination among anti-Houthi forces. The current fighting has not produced a similar rapid breakthrough.
