Houthi escalation in Hodeidah: Ground attacks and shelling of villages
From military ground attacks to shelling of villages, a new Houthi escalation has made its way to the Yemeni frontlines, after thwarted attacks west of Taiz in an attempt to force civilians to flee.
Joint forces stated that Houthi militias began a wide-scale escalation in the southern part of the Hodeidah governorate since Friday evening.
They also pointed out that the joint forces stationed in the Hodeidah axis engaged in clashes with various weapons against Iranian-backed militias following their attempts to change the conflict points and make field advances.
Breaking the lines
The elements of the Seventh and Eighth Brigades also faced attempts by the Houthis to penetrate the frontlines from the south of Al-Jarahi, inflicting casualties and injuries on the militias.
Simultaneously, clashes renewed on the same axis during similar offensive attempts by the Houthis, which were confronted by the Seventh and Ninth Brigades of the Giants on the lookout, causing human and material losses and forcing them to retreat.
In the same context, human rights said that Houthi militias shelled residential villages with mortar shells in northwestern Hayss district, south of Hodeidah province, western Yemen.
According to the sources, Houthi militias used for the first time in months “mortar shells, Katyusha rockets, and explosive-laden drones in the shelling of the town of Al-Bilili, northwest of Hayss district, south of Hodeidah province.
Ground attacks
The sources pointed out that children and women are living “unprecedented terror” due to the intensive and continuous shelling by Houthi militias on the residential town.
On Thursday, the National Resistance announced the breaking of a ground attack by Houthi militias targeting strategic areas in the vicinity of the city of Al-Barh, west of Taiz province, southern Yemen.
The Houthis are rushing to escalate the pace of violence on various battlefronts through attacks and the launch of Iranian-made drones, in anticipation of the renewal of the humanitarian truce led by the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
The unprecedented escalation by the Houthi militias threatens to return the fighting to Yemen, amid warnings from observers about these escalation steps that threaten any efforts or international efforts to make any progress in the Yemeni file.
