Aden (South24 Center)

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Southern forces, backed by tribal fighters, seized Jabal Naman and nearby positions on Sunday (September 20) after hours of clashes with the Iran-aligned Houthi militia on the Al-Mudaribah front in Lahj Governorate, military sources told South24 Center.

The mountain lies near the contact line between Al-Mudaribah in Lahj and Al-Wazi’iyah in Taiz. The development comes amid fighting for the heights inland from Bab Al-Mandeb, following Houthi advances along the country’s western coast that brought the conflict closer to the strait.

South24 sources said four members of the Southern Giants Brigades and two Salafi fighters were killed in the battle for Jabal Naman. Separately, a military source reported that two members of the Al-Subaiha tribes were killed in clashes on the Al-Mudaribah front early Sunday.

On the Kahboub front near Bab Al-Mandeb, the Nation Shield Forces said they repelled a Houthi attack overnight and shot down an explosive-laden drone approaching their positions. They said they had inflicted losses on Houthi personnel and equipment, and released footage they said showed the drone being brought down.

The Southern Giants Brigades said on Monday (September 21) that they had destroyed five Houthi vehicles and killed those aboard on the same front.

The clashes are part of a wider battle for the heights between the Red Sea coast and areas farther south held by government-aligned forces. Reuters reported on Monday, citing five Yemeni military sources, that the Houthis were seeking to seize positions in the Kahboub Mountains.

According to those sources, control of the heights could help the group secure positions it had reached around Dhubab and Perim Island, known locally as Mayun, and potentially open new fronts toward the south.

A military source told South24 Center that Southern forces shelled a gathering of Houthi commanders in northern Al-Dhalea on Sunday evening. Government-aligned forces also said they carried out drone strikes on Houthi positions across several fronts and shot down a Houthi drone carrying a mortar round in Al-Kadha, western Taiz.

In Marib, government-aligned forces said they targeted Houthi vehicles and artillery positions. Forces on the Beihan front said they struck Houthi gatherings and disabled a 23 mm gun.

A Yemeni Defence Ministry spokesman also announced airstrikes on Houthi personnel and equipment in Al-Bayda Governorate. The reported results of those operations could not be independently verified.

Meanwhile, Houthi media said Saudi airstrikes hit communications towers in several districts of Al-Jawf Governorate and released footage purportedly showing damage and a fire at a tower in the Rahoub area.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi aircraft had carried out 28 strikes in Taiz, Al-Jawf and Marib over 24 hours. There was no immediate Saudi comment on those specific allegations.

In a speech marking the anniversary of the Houthi takeover of Sanaa, Mahdi Al-Mashat, head of the group’s Supreme Political Council, threatened further escalation. He claimed shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandeb was safe, except for Saudi vessels.

His remarks come amid concerns over the security of the maritime corridor, although commercial shipping continues. Shipping data cited by Reuters showed that 51 vessels crossed Bab Al-Mandeb over the weekend, compared with 57 the previous weekend.