The hotel, held by the Houthis since 2015, has been repeatedly targeted in military operations after being converted into a position allegedly used to shell residential neighborhoods.

Yemen’s armed forces announced on Friday that they had targeted a Houthi command-and-control center and destroyed two tanks inside the abandoned Sofitel Hotel in eastern Taiz, southwestern Yemen, as part of the ongoing Dawn of Yemenmilitary offensive.

According to a military statement, the Houthis had converted the hotel into a military position and used it as a launch point for attacks against civilians in Taiz.

The military said the operation successfully neutralized the command-and-control center and destroyed both tanks stationed at the site.

It added that the strike was intended to protect civilians from attacks originating from the hotel, which occupies a strategically elevated position overlooking large sections of the city.

Sofitel: From a Tourist Landmark to a Military Stronghold

Houthi control of the Sofitel Hotel and its surrounding area dates back to 2015, when fighting erupted in Taiz. The group subsequently converted the former tourist facility into a military position, taking advantage of its commanding elevation overlooking the city's eastern neighborhoods.

Throughout the conflict, the hotel has been associated with the deployment of tanks and heavy weapons, amid repeated accusations that Houthi forces used the site to shell residential areas, particularly Thabat, Salah, Al-Kamb, Al-Hawd, and Al-Shammasi.

The site gained particular military and media prominence because of what became locally known as the "Sofitel Tank," which local reports linked to repeated shelling of residential neighborhoods during the early years of the war.

In June 2017, Saudi-led coalition aircraft carried out airstrikes against Houthi military positions near the hotel as part of operations targeting the group's military installations and vehicles in the eastern highlands of Taiz.

The site retained its military significance in subsequent years as the Houthis maintained positions on elevated terrain east of the city, enabling surveillance of military movements and fire control over surrounding areas.

Renewed Strike Under Operation Dawn of Yemen

The latest strike on the Sofitel Hotel comes amid an expanding offensive launched by Yemen’s armed forces in early October under Operation Dawn of Yemen, targeting Houthi command-and-control facilities, fortified positions, military vehicles, and other military assets across multiple fronts.

The operation has brought renewed attention to the Sofitel Hotel, a site associated with the military confrontation in Taiz since 2015, following the army's announcement that it had destroyed a command-and-control center and two tanks stationed inside the facility.

The reported results of the latest strike are based on the Yemeni military's statement. No independent assessment of the damage or potential casualties at the site was immediately available.