Aden, Yemen – The fighting fronts south of Hodeidah province witnessed on Saturday the most violent military escalation of its kind since the announcement of the UN truce in 2022. This came after a failed attempt by the Houthi militias to infiltrate and seize strategic positions overlooking the city of Hays on the Red Sea.
Field sources confirmed that clashes erupted after the Houthi militias brought in massive military reinforcements—the largest in a long time—to the Dabbas Mountains and areas south of Al-Jarahi. In a related development, the Houthis launched a surprise attack under heavy artillery cover targeting positions of the 2nd Brigade (Zaranik), part of the National Resistance Forces, with the aim of establishing fire control over the city of Hays.
Battle details
Sources indicated that the Second Brigade fiercely repelled the attack, with intense clashes lasting for hours and involving the use of various types of heavy and medium weapons. Specifically, the militias relied on sniper units and mortar fire in their advance, attempting to outflank strategic positions. However, government forces successfully contained the attack and repelled the advance after the arrival of significant military reinforcements for the National Resistance.
Following this, government forces launched a counter-attack, enabling them to regain control of the positions the militias had attempted to infiltrate. As a result, the Houthi elements were forced to withdraw, leaving behind heavy casualties and significant material losses. It is worth noting that this was the third such attack launched by the militias on the Hays front in the past two weeks.
Heavy human losses
For his part, Walid al-Qudaimi, Minister of State and Deputy Governor of Hodeidah, revealed a bloody toll from these battles, confirming the deaths of 15 soldiers from the Tihami forces while repelling the attack. Conversely, field reports indicated that the “heroic confrontation” waged by government forces inflicted heavy losses on the Houthi militias, with their death toll exceeding 50, in addition to dozens of others sustaining varying degrees of injuries.
These battles highlight the fragility of the situation on the ground in Hodeidah, as Houthi militias continue their attempts to violate the fragile ceasefire. Furthermore, the militias persist in their military escalation in strategic areas overlooking the international shipping lane in the Red Sea. These heavy losses on both sides indicate a rising tension in the southern countryside of Hodeidah governorate. The countryside remains a potential flashpoint at any time, despite international efforts to solidify the ceasefire.
