Yemeni Army: 181 operations targeted Houthi militia in a single day

As suicide drones entered the escalating confrontation with Iran-backed rebels for the first time, the Yemeni Army launched a large-scale military operation today targeting sites and assets belonging to the Houthi group in several provinces, resulting in the death and injury of dozens of its members and the destruction of equipment and machinery.

Majid al-Nazili, the official spokesperson for the Armed Forces, stated that the army conducted 181 military operations over the past 24 hours using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artillery, and rocket launchers. These strikes targeted military sites, threat sources, and Houthi positions across various combat fronts.

Al-Nazili added that the operations resulted in the killing and wounding of dozens of group members, without specifying an exact number, and the destruction of dozens of military vehicles and equipment, along with several weapons and combat supplies depots. He clarified that the strikes focused on military targets, fire sources, and capabilities used to carry out hostile actions along the lines of contact, covering different sectors in the provinces of Taiz, Marib, Abyan, Al-Dhalea, and Hodeidah, achieving direct hits on designated targets.

He affirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces possess the capability and readiness to reach out to threat sources, neutralize them, and prevent them from continuing their hostile activities, in accordance with operational requirements and at the time, place, and by means determined by military command.

The military spokesperson urged Yemenis to stay away from Houthi-affiliated military sites and gatherings, and to avoid joining their ranks or approaching their military positions, in the interest of their safety. He added that “any threat source will not be immune from legitimate engagement.”

The Armed Forces Media Center released video footage late Saturday night into Sunday, documenting the tracking and destruction of a moving Houthi militia vehicle (crew) in conflict zones. The footage showed the use of this type of drone, which allows the operator to exercise direct control and strike via high-definition real-time visual feed.

According to military experts, the introduction of this technology represents a tactical shift in managing field battles, as it provides drone operators with the ability to precisely select the impact point on a target, even while vehicles are in motion.

In one of the rebels’ heaviest losses, military and medical sources in Sanaa confirmed that more than 200 Houthi fighters were killed over two days of fierce fighting and drone strikes, most of them in Taiz province. They noted that most of the dead belonged to the “Samad Brigade.”

While the Houthi group announced the death of four of its officers, including a brigadier general, the “Yemen Future” platform cited sources stating that the Houthis had deployed new reinforcements to the Al-Burh front west of Taiz. These reinforcements included elite troops, commandos, and members of the Popular Mobilization, in an attempt to compensate for losses and resume the offensive. They also released approximately 850 prisoners and detainees from jails in Saada, Hajjah, and Sanaa, including individuals accused of criminal and drug-related offenses, while preparations are underway to release another 1,400 detainees in Al-Dhalea province in exchange for joining the front lines.

In response, the Houthi group launched new attacks today on the cities of Al-Mukha and Marib using ballistic missiles and drones. The military media of the National Resistance Forces, led by Presidential Leadership Council member Tareq Saleh, stated in a brief statement that the Houthi group “launched new attacks with ballistic missiles and drones on the city of Al-Mukha” in Taiz province, noting that “a missile fell on Al-Kahraba Street in the city.”

In Marib, the governorate’s media office said that the Houthis targeted residential neighborhoods in the city last evening with six ballistic missiles and four drones, resulting in civilian injuries and damage to homes and property.