• The Yemeni army says it carried out 474 operations across multiple fronts over the past 24 hours, killing or wounding 1,540 Houthi fighters, with the heaviest casualties reported in Taiz.

Yemeni army says it carried out 71 attacks on Houthi targets in Taiz

Yemen’s armed forces say they carried out 71 attacks, which they described as precision strikes, targeting Houthi gatherings, reinforcements and military buildups across several areas of Taiz province.

The military spokesperson said the operations targeted al-Aqrud, Samea, al-Ahkum, al-Akboush, Jabal Rasin, Jabal Jardad, Bani Omar, Bani Bakari, al-Kaawish and al-Athawir.

He said the attacks destroyed a number of Houthi transport and support vehicles and caused casualties among the group’s fighters, while disrupting its ability to continue fighting.

The army said its operations in Taiz would continue.

Three in four households go hungry in parts of Yemen amid fighting: UN

Three out of four families in parts of Yemen are going hungry after fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people and disrupted food supplies, the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) says.

About 74 percent of households in accessible government-held areas cannot meet their basic food needs, a record for this year, the WFP said.

An estimated 10 million people reside in government-held areas, according to WFP figures.

The report indicated how quickly hunger is deepening in a country that imports about 90 percent of its food as markets are disrupted and aid access shrinks.

In recent months, Yemen has faced a major escalation in fighting between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthi group, which controls large parts of the country.

Yemeni authorities close vital crossing linking Taiz to Al-Houban for security reasons

Government authorities in Taiz, southwestern Yemen, have closed the eastern crossing linking the city to the Al-Houban area until further notice on Saturday, due to security and military developments in the city’s vicinity. This vital crossing had previously been closed for nine years and was later reopened.

A military official told Al Jazeera that the government ordered for the decision to begin on Saturday, as they close the road that extends through Sanaa, Dhamar, Ibb, al-Qa’idah and al-Hawban.

The crossing is one of the most important routes for civilian movement after years of main roads being closed due to the war in 2016.

This decision comes as clashes have been erupting around the eastern crossing, following a Houthi infiltration attempt towards the city. The road has been experiencing shelling, military buildups, and infiltration attempts. Some of the attacks last week were conducted using military armored vehicles during civilian traffic, leading to government authorities ordering citizens around the area to avoid using the crossing during the closure period.

Yemeni government forces say they repelled Houthi attacks on western fronts of Taiz city

The military command in Taiz has said that its forces have repelled Houthi attacks on Jabal Han, Hazran and other western fronts of Taiz city.

Several hours of confrontations left dozens of Houthi fighters dead and others wounded, according to a statement from the Taiz Axis Media Centre, whose soldiers are affiliated with the forces of the Saudi-backed government.

Explosions heard in Yemen’s capital

Loud explosions being heard in the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa.

Yemeni government forces confirm attacks on ‘military targets’ in Houthi-held Sanaa

The internationally recognized government’s forces have announced attacks “on legitimate vital military targets” in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

The official spokesperson for the Armed Forces, Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, said in a statement on X that “the Armed Forces possess the capabilities to conduct strategic attacks against the Houthis”.

Earlier, several loud explosions were heard in the capital as Houthi-affiliated media reported air strikes in the area.

Government-affiliated media reported that warplanes had launched air strikes on sites in the Al-Nahdain and Jabal Attan areas of Sanaa, targeting Houthi positions.

They also reported the arrival of additional reinforcements to the government forces in Taiz Governorate to confront escalating attacks by Houthi fighters.

Missile attack targets Saada, northern Yemen: Houthi-affiliated media

Houthi-affiliated media outlet Al-Masriah reports that a missile attack has targeted the city of Saada in northern Yemen.

It comes after Yemeni government forces announced that they were targeting “legitimate vital military targets” in Sanaa.

Yemeni government forces say they seized Samaa fort in Taiz after clashes with Houthis

Yemeni government forces have taken control of the Samaa fort, southeast of the city of Taiz, after heavy clashes with the Houthis, the government-run Saba news agency has reported.

A military source told Saba that the armed forces, backed by local popular resistance fighters from the Samaa district, took the fort after “violent battles” with Houthi fighters.

The source said dozens of Houthi fighters were killed or wounded and others fled.

Clashes in Yemen seem to indicate a warm up for a major military operation

The air bombardment was the most prominent development, which was the bombing of the capital Sanaa, namely in al-Sabeen at the presidential compound, the Hafa camp in its east, and Fajj Attan in west Sanaa. This was striking: powerful air strikes. Also the raids that targeted the telecommunications network in Saada, which is another prominent progression in hostilities, aimed at dismantling the Houthis’ communications network.

It is clear that government forces are now seeking to prepare the theatre of operations for a comprehensive military operation, judging by the strikes, clashes and battles we are monitoring.

The government is heading toward a synchronized, coordinated military operation in the coming days. The Houthis are attempting to pre-empt this operation by opening fronts and keeping government forces busy so that they cannot deal with them alone. This race against time makes us read the scene as a kind of warm-up for the coming battle. All of this is a warm-up for a major military operation.

Escalation continues in Taiz

On the latest field developments, what has been announced by Yemeni government forces, especially on the Taiz front: they announced that government forces took control of the Samaa fort, in the Samaa district southeast of Taiz. They said the forces took control of it after violent clashes with the Houthis. The forces were also backed by tribes, or tribesmen, and took control of the fort and that area after violent clashes. They said there were Houthi fighters dead and wounded, while those who remained fled in that confrontation.

Government forces in Taiz also announced that they took control of Jabal Azzan in the Jabal Habashi district, west of Taiz, and said there were Houthi casualties and wounded in those battles. There is also news from al-Jawf, where government forces announced that they shot down four Houthi drones in the Shahla area of al-Jawf.

The spokesman for government forces, Majed al-Nazili, announced, or claimed responsibility for, the air strikes in Sanaa today. He stressed that the army is able to reach all areas of Yemen and to strike the Houthis in all areas of Yemen.

Also in Taiz, clashes have been taking place in the al-Kadaha area and in Kahbub. Some fronts are still heavily active.

Houthi-led Sanaa Health Ministry says 72 killed in Saudi attacks since escalation began

The Health Ministry in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa has said 72 people were killed and 125 wounded in Saudi attacks on Yemen since the escalation began, according to the Houthi-run Al Masirah news site.

Yemen’s defence ministry announces general mobilization campaign

Yemen’s defence ministry and general staff command launched a general mobilization and community mobilization campaign, the state news agency Saba reports.

According to the report, Lieutenant-General sl-Aqili announced measures to implement the general mobilization order, activating recruitment and reserve forces, organizing reception centers and assigning various entities to begin carrying out their respective tasks.

The chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sagheer bin Aziz, also confirmed that the declaration of general mobilization is a national decision.

Several air strikes reported on Houthi-controlled Sanaa

Yemeni forces have confirmed air strikes on two Houthi-controlled Yemeni cities, including Sanaa.

The strikes on the Houthi-controlled capital were first reported by local media early on Sunday.

The media centre of the armed forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government said in a post on X that Saudi coalition forces targeted “the terrorist Houthi militia” in Sanaa and Saada.

Earlier, the Iran-aligned Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of launching at least 26 strikes against Sanaa.