Yemen government forces claim control of Mount Qarfan in Taiz

Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces said they have captured Mount Qarfan in Taiz governorate after what Major General Abdulaziz al-Majidi described as "fierce battles" with Houthi fighters. The Yemen Armed Forces Media Center reported that government troops, aided by local fighters, secured the strategic height on Tuesday, and al-Majidi asserted that five Houthi fighters were killed and 20 wounded in the fighting.

According to the government statement, control of Mount Qarfan would grant commanding fire control and surveillance over valleys between the ash-Shamaytaun and al-Waziiya districts in southern Taiz. There was no immediate response from the Houthi movement to the government's claim. The clashes are part of broader combat in Yemen as the warring sides vie for terrain that overlooks the Red Sea coast.

The capture of the highlands is significant because the area overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb strait and nearby Mayyun Island, territory that analysts say the Houthis have sought to secure after seizing stretches of the Red Sea coast, including the port of Mocha. Al Jazeera quoted analysts who said control of the mountains would serve as a natural defensive barrier for forces on the coast and could threaten connections between the coast and government-held southern areas.

The reported fighting in Taiz comes amid wider violence across Yemen. Houthi spokespeople said their forces shot down a reconnaissance drone over Mocha and accused Saudi warplanes of carrying out 19 air strikes across Taiz, al-Jawf and Marib governorates. Local reporting and international agencies also describe a growing humanitarian toll: the World Health Organization reported 674 people killed and nearly 3,000 injured in renewed fighting since August 6, and Yemen's displacement management unit said more than 158,000 people were displaced this month alone. Observers and aid workers warn civilians are facing worsening conditions, with some undertaking dangerous sea crossings to Djibouti and Somalia.