Published: 11:32, September 27, 2026
Yemeni govt forces say airstrikes hit Houthi reinforcements in Taiz
By Xinhua

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi rebels raise their rifles during a rally in support of the group and to protest Saudi Arabia's accusation that the Houthis targeted Islam's holiest site of Mecca, in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept 18, 2026. (PHOTO/AP)

ADEN, Yemen/RIYADH – Yemeni government forces said Saturday that warplanes struck Houthi supply lines, reinforcements, and weapons depots across the southwestern province of Taiz, leaving dozens of fighters killed or wounded as fighting intensifies on several fronts.

In a statement on social media platform X, the Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center cited a government military source as saying that warplanes struck a Houthi supply convoy on Al-Sitteen Street, north of Taiz city, scoring "direct hits."

The strikes also targeted Houthi reinforcements in Al-Wazi'iyah district in western Taiz province, as well as weapon depots in Mawiyah area in the east, the source said.

ALSO READ: Yemen's Houthis claim missile, drone attacks on Riyadh, Aramco facility

The strikes destroyed several vehicles and left dozens of Houthi fighters killed or wounded, including field commanders, the source said, though the claims could not be independently verified.

Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said Saturday that Saudi warplanes had carried out 27 airstrikes across six Yemeni provinces over the previous 24 hours.

In a statement on X, Sarea said F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets operating from air bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif in Saudi Arabia struck areas in Taiz, Marib, Saada, Amran, Ibb and Hajjah.

This image taken from undated video released by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemen's Houthi rebels, on Sept 22, 2026, shows what the group says is a Houthi fighter firing a mortar during clashes with Saudi-backed forces at an undisclosed location in Yemen. (PHOTO/ANSAR ALLAH MEDIA OFFICE VIA AP)

Sarea said the latest attacks brought the Houthi tally of Saudi air and missile strikes since the current escalation began to 1,059.

Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group has intensified across Taiz and Lahj recently after the group seized the strategic port city of Mocha and Mayyun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait earlier this month.

Yemen's conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Saudi, Yemeni commanders meet over military readiness

Also on Saturday, Lieutenant General Fahd bin Hamad Al Salman, commander of the Joint Forces of the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government, and General Tariq Saleh, a member of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the National Resistance Forces, met in Riyadh to discuss enhancing their military readiness.

The Joint Forces Command said in a statement on social media platform X that the meeting at its Riyadh headquarters discussed ways to support the readiness of the Yemeni Armed Forces on all fronts to restore the state and its national institutions.

READ MORE: Houthis: S. Arabia launched 52 strikes across Yemen, causing casualties

Al Salman thanked Saleh for his role in the Presidential Leadership Council and his command of the National Resistance Forces, as well as for the sacrifices his forces have made in the fight to restore the state, the statement read.

For his part, Saleh praised the Joint Forces Command's support for the Yemeni Armed Forces and the National Resistance Forces in enhancing their capabilities, while commending efforts to unify ranks and rehabilitate forces for their national duties, according to the statement.

The two sides also stressed concerted efforts and continued coordination to strengthen morale and raise combat readiness, it added.