Yemen government forces claim new advances as Houthi border attacks resume

Yemen’s government forces have announced the capture of Houthi-held positions in the southern governorate of Lahj, amid fierce clashes with the Houthi rebels across multiple fronts in the country. The government’s National Shield Forces said on Monday that they had seized positions on the al-Muhawala front in western Lahj after a large-scale assault on Houthi positions.

The forces claimed that dozens of Houthi fighters had been killed or wounded in the attack. The latest announcement comes after several days of reported gains by government forces in the northern governorate of al-Jawf, east of the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Government forces in al-Jawf have advanced in recent days through mountain ranges east of the provincial capital al-Hazm. Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Suhaib al-Miyahi visited the al-Jawf front line on November 6, documenting trenches and fortifications in positions that government commanders said had been captured from the Houthis, as battles continued nearby.