ADEN, November 4 (Aalimi Nation) – Yemen's government forces said on Wednesday that they had advanced further into the mountains of eastern al-Jawf province, extending gains they first announced at the end of last week. The claims could not be independently verified, and the Houthis have given a different account of the fighting.
In a statement, the government's armed forces said troops backed by fighter jets and drones stormed Houthi fortifications and barracks in the al-Dahida mountains, seizing weapons and military equipment. The statement also said air and drone strikes hit Houthi gatherings and depots at several sites and that the Houthis suffered heavy losses. No casualty figures were given.
The advance is part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, which is now in its second month. Government commanders said at the weekend that they had taken the mountain range east of al-Hazm, the provincial capital, which remains under Houthi control. Officials describe the heights as the first line of defence for the city and say holding them allows forces to cut Houthi supply routes. A government brigade said on Monday that it had repelled a Houthi attempt to retake the area.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, said the operation would continue until state institutions and the government's authority are restored across the country.
A military source said a Houthi ballistic missile hit a military training camp in northern al-Dhalea, killing eight people and wounding more than 15. The source said the strike hit a gathering of recruits at the al-Jumaima camp. No official toll has been released, and some Yemeni media have reported higher figures. The Houthis have not confirmed the strike.
Government forces said they carried out air strikes on Houthi positions in western Taiz province and recaptured positions in al-Maqatira district in northern Lahij, on a defensive line linking Taiz with Aden, the seat of the government.
Media affiliated with the Houthis reported four air strikes on a Central Security Forces camp in al-Bayda city and a strike on a health centre in al-Silw district of Taiz. The Houthis said strikes from Saudi Arabia, which backs the Aden-based government, killed civilians over two days this week. These claims were also unverified.
Yemen's Interior Minister Ibrahim Ali Haidan said 21 foreign experts were directing Houthi operations, 14 from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and seven from Lebanon's Hezbollah. Hezbollah rejected the accusation as "baseless." The claim was not independently confirmed.
Civil defence authorities in Saudi Arabia's southern Najran region activated early-warning sirens twice on Wednesday morning, following an overnight alert in the Riyadh region. On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Mecca. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied any attack on Saudi territory.
The US embassy in Riyadh warned that Houthi attacks on the kingdom could escalate quickly, and said American government staff need special permission to use any Saudi airport.
