Saada (South24 Center)

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Ten soldiers from Yemen's government-aligned forces were killed on Friday (July 25) while fighting off a large-scale attack by Houthis on military positions in the ’Alab‘ area of Saada governorate near the Saudi border, in the latest military escalation.

The government forces media center stated in a release that the army repelled a surprise assault by the Houthi militia, adding that the clashes also resulted in dozens of casualties among the Houthi ranks, with their bodies lying scattered in the area. No immediate comment was issued by the Houthi group regarding the attack.

The statement detailed that the government reconnaissance units detected the Houthi movement shortly before midnight and launched a counterattack that inflicted heavy losses on the militia, forcing them to flee and also destroyed three of their vehicles.

Saada governorate contains the main stronghold of the Iran-backed Houthi forces and has been under their control since the war began in 2014. Despite the UN-brokered truce in 2022, the region has witnessed intermittent clashes with government troops.

The Houthis have recently intensified attacks on multiple fronts including Marib, Taiz and Al-Dhalea alongside their maritime assaults in the Red Sea, giving rise to growing international concerns about regional stability.

Concurrent with this military escalation, Yemen's Defense Ministry and General Staff headquarters issued a warning against using unofficial desert routes between Al-Jawf, Marib and Hadramout governorates, declaring them closed military operation zones.

The ministry urged citizens to use official roads only, cautioning about security risks and legal consequences, amid accusations that Houthis exploit these routes to smuggle weapons and drugs via commercial front networks.