Sanaa forces advance on Taiz-Lahj fronts as fighting escalates
TAIZ, Sept. 20 (YPA) – Fighting between Sanaa forces and Saudi-backed forces intensified on several fronts in southern and western Taiz province on Saturday, amid escalating clashes along the border with Lahj province and increased military movements by both sides, local sources told the Yemeni Press Agency (YPA).
The sources said Sanaa forces had made advances in several positions in Al-Shamayatayn district after taking control of Al-Jurayf Hill and the villages of Al-Makshab, Sharira and Al-Qahfa, as well as positions near Jabal Jardad, Al-Damdam, Al-Alqama and Rasin in Al-Turbah city, southwest of Taiz.
The sources said the advances came as Sanaa forces sought to cut off the remaining supply routes used by forces affiliated with the Islah Party, which is associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to the sources, the advances put Sanaa forces about 20 kilometers away from the outskirts of Al-Turbah, the district’s administrative center. The number of casualties on either side could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the sources said Saudi warplanes carried out airstrikes on the Al-Dhikrah junction, Al-Dimnah and Al-Rahida in Taiz province.
In Lahj province, local sources told YPA that intense clashes were reported in Al-Mudharabah and Ras Al-Arah districts, along the border with Taiz and near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The fighting was reportedly concentrated around elevated positions and strategically important sites in the Kahbub mountain range overlooking Bab al-Mandab.
The developments in Lahj come amid escalating clashes on the Al-Sabihah fronts and in areas bordering Taiz.
Recent reports said clashes erupted around the Al-Aghbarah mountains in Lahj between Sanaa forces and the Sixth Southern Al-Amaliqa (Giants) Brigade and the Fifth and Sixth Brigades of the Saudi-backed “Dera Al-Watan” forces.
The clashes came after Sanaa forces took control a day earlier of areas around Jabal al-Aswad, the outskirts of Qahazah and parts of the Al-Aghbarah mountain range.
The southern and western fronts in Taiz link the province with Lahj, Aden and Yemen’s western coast. Their proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait also makes them important for military movements, supply lines and future operations.
@E.Y.M