Yemen’s Houthi group said Friday that Saudi Arabia had conducted 14 airstrikes and missile attacks in four Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours, as clashes between Houthi fighters and government forces continued on several fronts in southwestern Yemen.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on X that Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets based in Khamis Mushait and Taif, along with missiles launched from Najran in southern Saudi Arabia, struck targets in the Yemeni provinces of Taiz, Amran, Marib and Saada.
According to Sarea, the latest attacks raised the number of Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and missile attacks to 1,032 since the latest escalation began.
The Houthi claims could not be independently verified, while Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the allegations.
Meanwhile, fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis continued on several fronts in Taiz province in the southwest and neighboring Lahj province on Friday, a Yemeni military official told Xinhua.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the opposing sides continued to exchange fire and carry out hit-and-run attacks, with control of some frontline positions changing hands repeatedly.
In a separate statement posted on X, Yemeni government forces said a drone strike on Houthi positions along the Al-Kadha front in western Taiz killed seven Houthi fighters and injured several others.
Clashes have intensified in Taiz and Lahj following recent Houthi advances near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Government forces are attempting to prevent further Houthi advances toward strategic highlands overlooking the important maritime route.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is considered one of the world's major maritime chokepoints, serving as an important route for global trade and energy shipments.
Yemen has remained embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government to leave the city.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to support the Yemeni government.