RIYADH/ADEN, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government forces said Tuesday they had carried out 744 strikes against Houthi military targets across several battlefronts over the past 24 hours as part of their ongoing "Dawn of Yemen" offensive.
Majid Al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the government forces, said in a statement posted on social media platform X that the attacks involved warplanes, drones, artillery, rocket launchers and sniper units, targeting Houthi command-and-control centers, firing positions, fortified sites, troop concentrations, reinforcements and supply lines.
In the southwestern province of Taiz, government forces continued offensive operations to push back Houthi fighters, while coordinated pressure was maintained on the eastern, southern, and western fronts, Al-Nuzaili said.
The operations "neutralized" about 200 Houthi fighters and destroyed or damaged 90 military vehicles and other pieces of equipment, he said. The claims could not be independently verified.
Al-Nuzaili said the operations were continuing in accordance with the military's operational plan, adding that attacks were restricted to military targets and that precautions were being taken to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Yemen's government forces, supported by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, have intensified military operations on several fronts under the "Dawn of Yemen" offensive, which was announced earlier this month amid a sharp escalation in fighting with the Houthis.
Also on Tuesday, Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said on X that coalition forces had intercepted a drone in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
The announcement came hours after the coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi group toward Riyadh.
Two loud explosions were heard in the city on Tuesday morning, while local residents received alerts through mobile phone applications. No casualties or damage were reported.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of the country's north. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. ■
