Yemeni government forces seize strategic positions in al-Jawf
Yemen's internationally recognised government says its forces have recaptured military positions and strategic heights east of al-Hazm in the northern governorate of al-Jawf. The announcement comes as fighting continues on several fronts, including around Taiz and in neighbouring Lahij. The government says the counteroffensive has also led to the seizure of weapons and ammunition depots.
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According to the army's media centre, the 1st Emergency Brigade carried out the operation and reported that Houthi fighters were wounded, killed and captured. It also said armoured vehicles were destroyed during the clashes. The Houthis, for their part, said they had repelled government advances in al-Jawf and in neighbouring Marib, underscoring the contested nature of the front line.
Al-Jawf is strategically important because it borders Saudi Arabia and lies alongside Houthi-held governorates including Sanaa and Saada. That geography makes it a key corridor in the wider struggle for territory in northern Yemen. The fighting is part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, which was launched in October to reverse Houthi gains and restore government control over areas seized by the group after it took Sanaa in 2014.
The latest clashes also come against the backdrop of a worsening humanitarian situation in Taiz, where the siege has strained hospitals and restricted deliveries of food, fuel and medical supplies. Government forces say they repelled Houthi attacks in al-Aqroudh, southeast of the city, and on the Tur al-Baha front in Lahij governorate. Houthi-affiliated media also reported air strikes on an oil company facility in Bajil district in Hodeidah governorate, adding to the sense of a conflict spreading across multiple fronts.
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Taiz remains one of the most sensitive areas in the war because the Houthis do not control the city itself but hold key routes in and out of it. That has limited access to essential supplies and made it harder for civilians to leave, with reports of sniper fire from surrounding hillsides. The humanitarian impact has been severe: more than 290,000 people have fled their homes since fighting escalated in August, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The United Nations Population Fund said nearly 6,100 pregnant women were among those recently displaced, including 600 expected to give birth within two weeks of its briefing on Friday. Videos published by Yemeni media showed what they described as the first shipment of medical aid arriving from Marib to support wounded people, displaced families and other residents, while further shipments were reportedly delayed by road closures. What remains unclear is how long government forces can hold the positions they say they have taken in al-Jawf, and whether the fighting will intensify further around Taiz, Marib and other nearby fronts.
