Yemeni army strikes Houthi positions in Taiz after Mokha attack

TAIZ — Yemeni government forces shelled Houthi positions across several areas of the southwestern Taiz province on Sunday following a Houthi missile and drone attack near the strategic Port of Mokha, according to the Saba news agency.Army forces targeted the Al-Mahroor area northwest of Taiz city, while artillery struck Houthi gatherings on the Hameer front in Maqbanah district and the Al-Aqrud front in Sabir Al-Mawadim district, Saba reported.Government forces also struck Houthi positions at Al-Madarij hill northwest of Taiz city, while clashes were reported between the two sides on several fronts across the province.The military response came shortly after the Houthis targeted residential areas near the Port of Mokha with missiles and drones.Mokha lies close to the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has intensified periodically along several fronts since last month, leaving dozens dead and wounded on both sides.Yemen had experienced a relative lull in large-scale fighting since April 2022 following years of conflict between the internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014.