Battles on the Yemeni western coast and west of Taiz entered a new phase on Thursday as government forces reorganized their deployment south of the city of Mokha, and formed an alternative command center in the Dhubab district toward Bab al-Mandeb, following breakthroughs achieved by the Iran-backed Houthi group on a number of fronts during the past hours.
The development came following days of violent battles on the west coast, during which the Houthi forces managed to advance in al-Waziyah and Mawza and seize control of important positions as government forces withdrew from positions in Hays and al-Khawkha. The Houthis continued to push large human reinforcements to the confrontation lines, using missiles, drones, and heavy weapons.
Member of the Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the National Resistance Tareq Saleh said the armed forces on the west coast were regrouping in preparation for the next phase in the fighting.
According to local media, Saleh said the armed forces on the west coast “have paid a heavy cost, including martyrs and wounded, in the days they have been fighting the Houthi assault.”
The armed forces include the National Resistance, Giants Brigades and National Shield forces.
He said the forces confronted an attack “planned and supported by Iran.” He also accused Iran of being involved in the fight “though its various tools.”
The military media of the National Resistance announced the formation of the new command center in the Dhubab region, south of Mokha, in the direction of Bab al-Mandeb to positions closer to the city of Mokha.
Houthi militants had seized control Wednesday of al-Waziyah, southwest of Taiz, and Mawza, east of Mokha, in addition to the Khalid bin Al-Walid camp in the Mawza district, following violent battles with government forces.
National Resistance and other forces withdrew from areas in the Hays district north of Mokha and Khawkha south of Hays. The Houthis continued their advance on the northern and eastern axes leading to Mokha.
Military media sources reported that the Houthis stormed several areas in the Mokha district, seizing control of the Jabal al-Nar camp, which housed the headquarters of the military forces command on the western coast. Zuqar Island was struck by two ballistic missiles amid escalation that included wide areas of the coast and the Red Sea.
Air strikes meanwhile hit Houthi positions in al-Tahita, al-Salif, and Kamran island in Hodeidah. More air raids sough to weaken the group’s fire power and cut its supply routes.
These developments come a week after a broad Houthi attack began in western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, during which the group managed to mobilize large numbers of fighters and open more than one front at the same time, with heavy use of missiles, drones, and artillery shelling to cover its ground movements.
Despite the Houthis’ heavy losses, they continued to bring more reinforcements to the fronts amid apparent disarray in government forces and a depletion of their reserves.
