Yemeni government forces and allied local fighters said on October 1 that they had repelled a major Houthi offensive across Taiz province, while fighting continued on several fronts. The Yemeni military said its forces remained in their positions and rejected Houthi claims of territorial gains.

Arab News reported that at least 30 Houthi fighters were killed during the preceding 24 hours, citing officials. The army said that Houthi fighters, including field commanders, had been killed, wounded or captured, and that military equipment had been destroyed. These figures were not independently verified.

Fighting across multiple fronts

According to the military, Houthi forces began heavy mortar fire against government-held areas before launching ground assaults. The attacks were reported in the Jabal Habashi and Maqbanah districts west of Taiz and in Al-Misrakh, as well as on other fronts. A Yemeni army officer told Arab News that the offensive involved attacks at 56 flashpoints and followed several days of Houthi mobilisation.

Al-Thawry, citing the military media centre and a local source, reported clashes in additional sectors, including Al-Kadha, Al-Ashruh, Al-Aqroudh, Sama and Bani Omar. The outlet said government forces had pushed Houthi fighters out of several locations in southwestern Taiz and had taken prisoners. The account differs from the statement cited by Arab News that government forces had held their positions and that the Houthis had not made territorial gains.

Air operations and disputed figures

Government forces used artillery, aircraft and drones during the fighting. The army said six air strikes targeted Houthi positions in southern and southeastern Taiz. A military spokesperson quoted by Al-Thawry gave a different figure, saying that 15 strikes hit locations in the province. The reports do not explain whether the figures refer to different time periods or sets of operations.

Al-Thawry also reported a drone strike against a vehicle carrying Houthi personnel west of Taiz and said aircraft struck positions and equipment in Jabal Habashi. The reported casualties and damage could not be independently confirmed.

Road link and wider escalation

Residents told Arab News that Houthi fighters destroyed a culvert on the Hayjat Al-Abd road, the main route linking Taiz with the southern city of Aden. The incident disrupted a key supply connection, according to the report. Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group said the attacks appeared aimed at cutting the Taiz-Aden road and isolating the city.

The fighting came amid renewed hostilities elsewhere in Yemen. Gulf News, citing an AFP correspondent, reported loud explosions in Sanaa on October 1 and smoke rising over the capital. Al-Thawry separately reported three strikes in Sanaa and cited Houthi-affiliated media as saying that more than 25 strikes had hit the capital and several provinces, but said it could not independently verify those claims. The reports illustrate the wider escalation, while the precise circumstances in Sanaa remained unclear.