4 Iranian experts killed in Taiz as Yemen army unleashes 756-operation offensive against Houthis
Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces carried out 756 operations against Houthi military positions across several fronts over the past 72 hours and killed or wounded 2,316 Houthi members, the Yemeni armed forces said on Sunday. The military also claimed that four Iranian experts specialising in drone and missile operations were killed in Taiz governorate.Brigadier general Majeed Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, spokesman for Yemen’s armed forces, said the operations targeted Houthi positions and movements in Kitaf and Al-Baqa, Alab, Al-Jawf, Marib, Al-Bayda, Lahij and Taiz. His statement was carried by Yemen’s Saba news agency and reported by Ajel News.Al-Nuzaili said the operations involved aircraft, drones, snipers, field artillery and rocket launchers. He said the attacks “destroyed or disabled troop carriers, vehicles, military reinforcements, missile-launch platforms, weapons and equipment depots and other military hardware belonging to the Houthis”.The spokesman said the deaths of the four Iranian specialists were “a new confirmation of the continued Iranian support and expertise” provided to the Houthi movement. He also said the presence of the experts demonstrated Iran’s continued provision of support and expertise to the group.The figures and claims from the Yemeni government could not be independently verified. A separate report by Al Bawaba also cited the government’s claim of 756 operations and 2,316 Houthi casualties.The latest claims came as fighting intensified around Taiz. On Sunday, a Saudi airstrike on a market in the province killed seven people and wounded 40, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and Houthi media. Al-Masirah TV said a Saudi fighter jet had targeted the area shortly before reporting the casualties.Yemen’s government disputed the Houthi account of the market strike. Three government military sources told Reuters that Houthi fighters had recently established a military camp near the market, leaving the intended target and circumstances of the civilian casualties disputed.The escalation follows a renewed Houthi offensive after years of relative calm. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi air forces had carried out 27 strikes across Taiz, Marib, Saada, Amran, Ibb and Hajjah.
