The Yemeni army has said it captured a Houthi militia drone operations team in Taiz, as the provincial governor warned that a fuel blockade by the Houthi militia had forced essential services in the city to shut down.
The army’s 35th Armoured Brigade said in a statement on Friday that its forces captured the team on the Al-Aqrud-Kahlan front, southeast of Taiz.
The brigade said the operation was part of efforts to counter Houthi militia activities and strengthen combat readiness along the front lines.
It did not disclose how many people were captured or provide details about the circumstances of the operation.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthi militia on the army’s announcement.
The capture comes amid intensified fighting in the southwestern province, where clashes and restrictions on supply routes have worsened humanitarian conditions and displaced thousands of residents.
Essential services shut down
Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan, meanwhile, said that electricity and water stations, along with the city’s waste collection services, had stopped operating because the Houthi militia were blocking fuel deliveries.
“Houthi militias are besieging Taiz and have closed all roads leading to it for the past 15 days,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
Hospitals were also unable to provide medical care because of shortages of medicines and medical supplies, Shamsan added.
He warned that conditions could deteriorate further for around 4 million displaced people and residents of Taiz, as relief organisations are unable to reach them.
‘Dawn of Yemen’
Government forces launched an offensive dubbed “Dawn of Yemen” on October 5.
Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said it aims to restore state institutions under Houthi militia control and retake the capital, Sanaa.
On October 11, the army said it had retaken two hills in the Al-Aqrud area, south of Taiz.
It also said on October 6 that its forces had killed 100 Houthi militants and shot down five drones during operations on several fronts in the province, including Al-Aqrud.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since the Houthi militia seized the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in 2014.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.
The latest escalation, which began in July, has marked the most extensive fighting since a UN-brokered truce brought relative calm in 2022.
