SANAA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, said Saturday they had made new gains against the Houthis in the northern province of Al-Jawf, as intensified military operations continued across several fronts.
Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the government forces, said in a statement on social media platform X that government forces had seized several positions and strategic heights in Al-Jawf, while fighting continued across other fronts.
In the southwestern province of Taiz, government forces and allied fighters continued clashes with the Houthis, backed by air and artillery strikes, he said.
Al-Nuzaili claimed the latest operations had "neutralized" 427 Houthi fighters and destroyed or damaged 142 military vehicles, pieces of equipment and transport vehicles.
Meanwhile, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported Saturday that 232 people had been killed and 536 others wounded as of Friday, saying women and children were among the casualties. It said the province of Taiz recorded the highest toll, followed by the northern provinces of Saada and Al-Jawf.
Separately, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on social media platform X that Saudi forces had carried out 66 air and missile strikes over the past 24 hours on Sanaa and five other provinces, causing casualties.
He put the total number of Saudi air and missile strikes since the latest escalation began at 3,755.
The latest figures come amid an intensifying confrontation between the Houthis and Yemen's government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, as escalating ground battles and airstrikes across Yemen have coincided with Houthi missile and drone attacks on government-held areas and targets inside Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country's north, forcing the internationally recognized government out of the capital and prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the government. ■
