Taiz: Fighting resumed between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis south of Taiz on Thursday, while Saudi Arabia reported intercepting a Houthi ballistic missile and Aden International Airport reopened to flights following missile attacks.
Yemen Today TV reported renewed clashes on the Al Aqroudh and Al Masrakh fronts and in Al Rahn village in Sabir al Mawadim district. The report did not provide casualty figures or details of territorial changes.
The fighting involves forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthis, the armed movement that seized the capital, Sanaa, and other areas in 2014. A Saudi led military coalition has supported the government against the group since March 2015.
In Aden, flights resumed after the airport and surrounding areas came under missile attack following Houthi threats to target the facility. Eyewitnesses told that a missile landed on Wednesday at neighbouring Al Nasr Camp, which houses Yemeni Coast Guard forces and the Interior Ministry headquarters.
Separately, coalition spokesperson Turki al Maliki said Saudi air defences intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile directed towards the kingdom’s Eastern Province early on Thursday. His statement did not report casualties or damage.
Saudi Civil Defence had issued an alert in the Eastern Province before the interception was announced. It subsequently issued an all clear for the Eastern Province and Najran.
Thursday’s interception followed another reported by the coalition on Wednesday, when it said a Houthi ballistic missile heading towards Taif had been destroyed.
Late on Tuesday, debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles damaged a building, a construction project and a vehicle in Riyadh, according to Saudi Civil Defence. Its statement reported no casualties.
The developments place renewed ground fighting in Yemen alongside successive missile attacks and interceptions involving Saudi Arabia. The supplied report did not establish a direct operational link between the Taiz clashes and the individual missile launches.
