Specialized mountain-warfare units have been deployed to Taiz to reinforce frontline positions and help train fighters, as Houthi attacks focus on Jabal Han, Samea and Al-Shamayatayn in an effort to threaten supply routes toward Al-Turbah and Aden while securing strategic heights overlooking the western coast and Bab al-Mandab.

 The Yemeni army has reinforced its forces in Taiz with special units transferred from other military regions, as fighting with the Houthis expands across dozens of fronts and contact points throughout the governorate.

Military sources told Sheba Intelligence that special forces with extensive experience fighting the Houthis in mountainous terrain similar to Taiz have been redeployed to the governorate in recent days to address shortages in specialized combat units and reinforce the most sensitive sectors.

The reinforcements come as fighting in Taiz has expanded to more than 50 fronts and contact points, including long-established battle lines and newly reopened fronts. Among them is Samea district, where clashes have resumed after years of relative calm following the breakdown of an earlier understanding that had kept the area largely outside major fighting.

Field information indicates that Houthi forces have pushed reinforcements from the direction of Dimnat Khadir and are attempting to advance through the Samea axis.

Reinforcing the Front and Organizing Volunteers

According to the military sources, several Taiz fronts continue to face shortages of ammunition, weapons and specialized combat personnel, even as the governorate witnesses growing numbers of civilian volunteers seeking to join forces defending their areas.

Some of the volunteers previously fought with the Popular Resistance during the 2015–2016 battles, when local forces played a major role in preventing the Houthis from taking full control of Taiz city. Others are new recruits who still require more specialized military training.

The sources said one of the missions of the newly deployed special forces will be to help organize, train and improve the combat capabilities of local fighters, alongside their direct participation in battlefield operations with army units operating under the Taiz and Tur Al-Bahah axes.

The broader sector stretches across a wide area of mountainous terrain and key supply routes connecting Taiz with Lahj and the western coast.

Jabal Han: A Key Gateway to Taiz City

Jabal Han is one of the most important positions in the current fighting west of Taiz city.

The Houthis are attempting to advance toward the mountain, which overlooks the western approaches to the city and dominates sections of the Al-Dhabab road leading toward Al-Turbah.

Control of Jabal Han would represent a major tactical breakthrough because of its commanding position over one of the main routes connecting Taiz city with areas to the south.

A significant Houthi advance in this sector could increase pressure on Taiz’s supply routes and bring attacking forces closer to one of the city’s most important land corridors.

Samea: A New Front Toward the Main Road

In the southeast, the Houthis have opened a new front in Samea after advancing from the direction of Dimnat Khadir, in an area that had remained relatively distant from large-scale confrontation for years.

Field information indicates that Houthi forces are attempting to seize commanding mountain positions in and around Samea, which would allow them to exert pressure westward and southward toward the road network linking Taiz city with Al-Turbah and Aden.

The reopening of the Samea front has coincided with escalation across a broader belt extending from Al-Shamayatayn in the south toward higher ground to the north and west.

This makes Al-Turbah and the main road passing through it increasingly central to the current battle.

Al-Turbah at the Center of the Operational Map

When the current Houthi axes are viewed together, Al-Turbah emerges as a strategic node in the road network south of Taiz.

Pressure on Jabal Han comes from the direction of Taiz city and the Al-Dhabab road, while the southern and southeastern fronts through Samea and Al-Shamayatayn are pushing toward mountain positions and routes connected to Al-Turbah.

The city is a critical junction on the main land route connecting Taiz with Lahj and Aden.

Any Houthi advance that places parts of this route under direct fire or allows forces to cut it would impose significant pressure on the movement of troops, supplies and reinforcements to and from Taiz city.

Two Main Houthi Objectives

According to military information obtained by Sheba Intelligence, the multi-axis Houthi offensive in Taiz is pursuing two principal objectives.

The first is to secure Houthi positions and recent gains along the western coast and around Bab al-Mandab by controlling or threatening the mountainous heights from which government forces could launch future operations toward the coast.

The second is to isolate and weaken the anti-Houthi military force concentrated in Taiz, particularly by increasing pressure on its supply routes and limiting its ability to move south or west to participate in operations aimed at retaking coastal areas.

The current fighting therefore centers heavily on controlling mountain heights, protecting supply routes and preventing breakthroughs toward the road network linking Taiz with Al-Turbah, Lahj and Aden.

Sheba Intelligence had previously reported that the large-scale Houthi offensive in Taiz extends across more than 50 fronts and points of contact, and that control of the high ground and the routes leading toward the coast represents a key element of the ongoing operations.