Aircraft belonging to the Saudi led Arab coalition have intensified air raids concentrating on sites, centres and reinforcements belonging to Houthi militias and those loyal to the ousted president Saleh in scattered areas of Taiz. Many rebels were killed in the raids and equipment was damaged.

Eye witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that coalition aircraft targeted sites belonging to rebel militias in Mount Awman in the Al-Habwan area, east of the city. Flames and smoke could be seen rising from the sites that were targeted and this continued for hours after military equipment, including tanks and anti-aircraft warfare were destroyed. Other raids targeted militia sites in Sitteen Street.

In addition to this, the national army and Popular Resistance foiled a major offensive launched by Houthi militias and forces loyal to the deposed president Saleh on various eastern, northern and western fronts of fighting.

Sources on the ground from the Popular Resistance told Asharq Al-Awsat that “The Popular Resistance and the national army were able to ward off the attack carried out by the rebel militias. The attack was accompanied by heavy shelling on army positions with various types of weapons, and we were able to progress to militias’ sites…This resulted in some rebels being killed and others getting injured. Two soldiers from the army were killed and three others were injured.”