Yemeni government forces said on August 13 that they had thwarted a Houthi rebel attack on positions along the al-Mafalis front, south of the Haifan district in the southeastern part of Taiz province, as military tensions rise in several provinces.
An official from the Tor al-Bahah military axis, affiliated with government forces, said that the 4th Hashd Infantry Brigade repelled the Houthi attack on the al-Mafalis front. The official accused the "terrorist Houthi militias" of suffering heavy losses, stressing that the coordinated military and security operations in Tor al-Bahah aimed to "repel and deter the Houthi attack," asserting that the rebel group would face defeat and collapse.
Government forces spokesperson Waddah al-Dubeish said air defense units intercepted Houthi reconnaissance drones over the skies of the city of al-Makha (Mocha) in the southwest of the country.
A day earlier, the Yemeni government announced artillery and drone strikes targeting Houthi positions and assembly points in several provinces. State television reported that government artillery fire around the al-Fakhir market in the north of al-Dhalea province resulted in multiple Houthi casualties.
Germany's dpa news agency quoted Yemen's Deputy Minister of Information, Fayyad al-Numan, confirming on August 12 that government forces had "heavily shelled Houthi positions on multiple fronts with heavy artillery and drones."
Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, declared: "From now on, there will be no action by the Houthi forces without a comprehensive response or deterrence." He stressed that the government "does not support a new ceasefire that repeats past experiences," while expressing support for a long-term, sustainable peace based on a state with a monopoly on weapons and sovereignty. He also called for an opportunity "to lay down arms and join in building a homeland that can embrace everyone."
Since April 2022, Yemen has experienced relative calm in the war between government forces and the Houthi group. However, sporadic clashes between the two sides resumed in early July, resulting in dozens dead and wounded.
