Houthis Kill 16 Government Troops in Attack South of Hodeidah, AFP Medics Say

Yemen’s Houthis killed 16 government troops in an attack on government-aligned forces south of the port city of Hodeidah, with two medical officials telling AFP that hospitals on the Red Sea coast received 16 dead and 22 wounded.

An officer with the government-aligned forces in Jabal Dubas in the Hays district gave a provisional toll of 14 troops and 23 injured in “fierce fighting,” saying the Iran-backed Houthis briefly took control of pro-government positions before a counterattack retook them at dawn on Saturday.

Al Jazeera

The clashes began late on Friday, and the officer described how rebels attacked with snipers, then launched drone and mortar salvos, calling it “This was the deadliest Houthi attack in years.”

Another military official said pro-government forces repelled the Houthi attack in Hays district in “clashes lasting for several hours at dawn on Saturday.”

Yemen’s presidential council chief Rashad Al-Alimi ordered government forces to maintain the highest level of military readiness to confront the Houthi group after deadly clashes in western Al Hudaydah province, according to Yemen’s state news agency SABA.

Alimi held a phone call with Presidential Leadership Council member Tareq Saleh to receive an update on developments along the western coast front after government forces repelled what authorities described as a Houthi attack in southern Al Hudaydah province.

Al Jazeera

During the call, Saleh briefed Alimi that government forces had thwarted Houthi infiltration attempts into frontline positions and forced the attackers to retreat after inflicting heavy casualties, while Alimi stressed the need “to maintain maximum preparedness” and strengthen coordination among military units.

Earlier Sunday, Minister of State Walid Al-Qudaimi said 15 government soldiers and 50 Houthi fighters were killed in fierce clashes in southern Al Hudaydah, and the Anadolu Ajansı report described the confrontation as one of the most intense since a UN-mediated truce took effect about four years ago.

The fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s government has largely been frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022, but on Friday the Houthis threatened airports and vital assets belonging to Saudi Arabia, a key backer of Yemen’s Aden-based government.

The rebel group accused the kingdom of trying to stop an Iranian plane from landing, and the Arab News account framed the Houthis as part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and the United States.

In parallel, the Anadolu Ajansı report said the clashes were one of the most intense confrontations between government forces and the Houthis since the UN-mediated truce took effect about four years ago, while noting Yemen had largely observed a fragile calm since April 2022.

With the western coast front described as escalating and Alimi calling for maximum preparedness, the immediate consequence in the sources is continued military readiness and coordination aimed at “thwart hostile attempts and defend citizens and national interests.”