- Colonel Abdul Basit Al‑Baher, a Yemeni Army officer, said government forces seized the strategic Qarfan Mountain and pushed into Houthi‑held terrain across the surrounding ridge near Lahj, Bab al‑Mandab and the Red Sea.
- Yemen’s Executive Unit for IDP Camps Management reported that ongoing combat is displacing more families, with Taiz bearing the largest influx of internally displaced persons.
Updated 8 min 4 sec ago
September 23, 2026 21:22
AL-MUKALLA — Fierce fighting between Yemeni government forces and Iran‑backed Houthi militants intensified on Wednesday in southern Taiz province after troops seized a strategic mountain southwest of the city and advanced into fresh territories.
A government agency overseeing internally displaced persons reported the displaced tally had climbed to 169,000, up from 131,000 five days earlier, as hostilities continued to force families from their homes.
Colonel Abdul Basit Al‑Baher, an Army officer stationed in Taiz, told Arab News that the troops seized the strategic Qarfan Mountain, secured its perimeter and then pushed into Houthi‑controlled terrain across a mountain chain close to Lahj, the Bab al‑Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.
“Intense clashes involving multiple weapons are ongoing on the battlefields south of Taiz,” said Al‑Baher. “We have captured several Houthis, including a senior field commander whose identity we are withholding for now.”
In the newly reclaimed zones, government troops discovered the remains of more than 800 Houthi fighters scattered across mountains and valleys, believed to have been killed by airstrikes or artillery fire from Yemeni Armed Forces.
Al‑Baher added that the government handed over 860 Houthi bodies recovered from the fighting since early September to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Clashes have escalated across several districts of Taiz province since early this month, following the Houthis’ largest offensive, which saw them seize extensive stretches of Yemen’s western coastline, including Mokha and the Bab al‑Mandab Strait.
The Houthis encountered fierce resistance while attacking government‑held areas in western and southern Taiz, aiming to capture strategic mountains to consolidate their Red Sea gains.
According to Al‑Baher, the Houthis used guerrilla tactics and sent wave after wave of fighters to the front in a bid to breach government lines.
Government forces, comprising units from several military regions and the Giants Brigades, conducted drone strikes targeting Houthi positions, reinforcements, vehicles and fighters in Marib, Al‑Bayda, Lahj and Al‑Jawf.
Military footage shows drones hitting Houthi positions and vehicles, causing explosions, plumes of dust and combatants being thrown into the air, resulting in deaths and injuries.
The government’s Executive Unit for IDP Camps Management reported the total of internally displaced persons had risen to 169,000, up from 131,000 five days earlier, as ongoing hostilities forced more families from their homes.
Local aid workers highlighted the urgent need for shelter, food and medical care among the displaced.
The agency’s latest Tuesday report showed Taiz hosting the highest number of displaced individuals—88,324—followed by Lahj (39,375) and Aden (15,003).
Additional thousands found refuge in Abyan, Hadramout and other provinces.
“Many families were compelled to flee abruptly, lacking even basic shelter, food or livelihoods, which has intensified their hardship, especially for those staying with host families or in informal settlements,” the unit reported.
Aid workers in Taiz noted that displaced families keep arriving; some are crammed into overcrowded homes or small tents, while others sleep outdoors.
Mohammed Mahmoud, an aid worker in Taiz’s Al‑Ma’afer district, told Arab News on Wednesday that humanitarian assistance has yet to match the scale of the displacement crisis.
He said some families were displaced for a second time after being unable to afford rent in Aden and other government‑controlled zones.
“Our immediate priority is multipurpose cash assistance so people can buy essential supplies,” Mahmoud said. “People fled quickly because the war took them by surprise.”