Pro-Saudi Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has once again returned to the southern city of Aden, his temporary “capital,” and his office says he intends to oversee the military offensive against Taiz, following weeks of predicted victory in the area.
Despite continued claims of “progress” in the Taiz offensive, the city and surrounding province remain disputed, and again today heavy fighting left 53 people killed, including 8 civilians, 25 pro-Hadi fighters, and 20 pro-Houthi fighters. Several airstrikes were reported.
The Houthis were mostly killed in airstrikes, as were the civilians, while the Hadi fighters, dubbed “mercenaries” by pro-Houthi outlets, were killed in an ambush at one of their military camps by Houthi forces, backed by the Yemeni military.
The camp was apparently set as a trap, with explosives planted around the area and the tents abandoned, they quickly moved against the invading Hadi forces, detonating explosives and quickly routing them.