Yemen army claims 1,540 Houthi casualties in 24 hours, closes Taiz crossing
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Yemen's government forces killed or wounded 1,540 Houthi rebels in the past 24 hours, army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said on Friday. The operations halted a Houthi advance in Taiz governorate, where most casualties occurred. On Saturday, the army closed the al-Houban crossing connecting Houthi-held al-Houban to government-held Taiz city for security reasons.
Key Facts
- Government forces carried out nearly 500 military operations in the past 24 hours, killing or wounding 1,540 Houthi rebels, according to army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili.
- Most casualties occurred in Taiz governorate, where the operations halted a Houthi advance.
- The army closed the al-Houban crossing in Taiz on Saturday, citing security reasons after a Houthi infiltration attempt and military buildup.
- The al-Houban crossing had been closed for nine years before being reopened to civilians in 2024 for humanitarian reasons.
- A fragile truce struck in 2022 collapsed in July 2026, and fighting has escalated significantly since then.
Military Operations
Yemen's internationally recognised government forces carried out nearly 500 military operations in the past 24 hours, killing or wounding 1,540 Houthi rebels, according to army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili. Warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles and rocket launchers were used to target Houthi positions in various parts of Yemen, al-Nazili said on Friday evening. Most of the casualties came in the governorate of Taiz, where the operations halted the Houthi advance, al-Nazili said. The army spokesman did not mention any casualties among government forces.
Al-Houban Crossing Closure
On Saturday, the army's media official Ammar al-Sami'i told Al Jazeera that the government had closed the al-Houban crossing in Taiz. The crossing had previously been closed for nine years and was later reopened to civilians in 2024 for humanitarian reasons, Sami'i said, as the road is one of Yemen's most important connections between territory held by the opposing sides. It connects Houthi-held al-Houban to government-held Taiz city. Sami'i said security reasons are behind the closure, following an attempt by the Houthis to infiltrate Taiz via the road, attacks in the vicinity and a general military buildup.
Escalating Conflict
A fragile truce struck between the government and the Houthis in 2022 collapsed in July this year, and fighting in Yemen has escalated significantly since then. In mid-September, the Houthis swept across parts of western Yemen, seizing the port city of Mocha and key strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Since then, anti-Houthi forces have largely stabilised the front lines. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the fighting restarted. Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to retreat to Aden.
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