Yemeni government forces said on Saturday they had repelled Houthi assaults in Marib province and were pushing into Houthi-held areas of al-Jawf, as the Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that strikes on a village in Sanaa province killed at least 27 people; a health ministry spokesman said most casualties were women and children.
Fighting in al-Jawf is part of the “Dawn of Yemen” operation launched more than a month ago by the internationally recognised government to take control of territory from Houthi fighters. Government forces said troops backed by warplanes and drones had fought for hours to halt Houthi advances in Marib, destroying fortifications and combat equipment.
In a statement, government forces spokesman Colonel Majed al-Nazili said the army had carried out 875 attacks on Houthi positions on Saturday, “neutralising” about 130 Houthi commanders and fighters and destroying or disabling 50 vehicles and missile launchers. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the claims.
Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesman for the Sanaa-based Ministry of Health, said the strikes struck al-Shariya village, north of the capital, and that most of the casualties were women and children. The Iran-backed Houthis blamed the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government forces for the attack. The President of the armed group’s Supreme Political Council, Field Marshal Mahdi al-Mashat, vowed to “avenge” the attack. Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government have not commented on the reported strikes.
The incident came a day after the Houthis and Yemen’s government traded blame over a separate attack that killed civilians at a market in Taiz. Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry said the Houthis put the civilian death toll from the past two days at 55, blaming Saudi air strikes, while Yemeni government officials have held the Houthis responsible for most of the casualties.
Separately, the Houthis claimed to have launched six attacks on Saudi targets using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, including King Khalid international airport and oil facilities in Riyadh. Colonel Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-backed coalition, said early on Saturday that they had shot down a Houthi ballistic missile over the Riyadh region.
Reporting from Sanaa, Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry said: “Two narratives are blaming each other and pointing the finger at each other, while this is taking a toll on civilian casualties.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The escalating fighting threatens to deepen one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with Yemen already facing widespread hunger and displacement.
- Civilian casualties from airstrikes and ground combat risk inflaming regional tensions, particularly if the Saudi-led coalition is drawn further into direct retaliation.
- The rival claims and lack of independent verification make it difficult to assess the true scale of the conflict or to hold either side accountable.
Background
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government. The conflict has since killed hundreds of thousands and created a severe humanitarian emergency. The “Dawn of Yemen” operation, launched in late 2025, is the latest government offensive to reclaim territory from the Houthis.
Key Perspectives
Yemeni government forces: Claim they repelled Houthi assaults in Marib and are advancing in al-Jawf, having carried out hundreds of attacks and neutralised scores of Houthi fighters.
Houthi authorities: Report that Saudi-led airstrikes killed at least 27 civilians, mostly women and children, at a village in Sanaa province, and blame the coalition. They also claim attacks on Saudi targets.
Saudi-led coalition: Do not comment on the Sanaa village strike but confirm shooting down a Houthi missile over Riyadh, implicitly rejecting the claim of successful strikes on Saudi soil.
Al Jazeera: Notes it could not independently verify any of the battlefield or casualty claims, and that two opposing narratives are competing.
What to Watch
- Whether the Saudi-led coalition issues a formal response to the accusation of striking al-Shariya village, and whether casualty numbers are corroborated by independent sources.
- The trajectory of the government’s “Dawn of Yemen” offensive and whether Houthi counterattacks stall its progress.
- Further Houthi missile or drone launches toward Saudi Arabia and the coalition’s defensive and possible retaliatory actions.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedYemeni government forces reported advances.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Yemeni government forces say they have repelled Houthi assaults in Marib, as the armed group said strikes on a village in Sanaa province had killed at least 27 people.”
- SupportedThe Houthis said at least 27 people were killed in a village strike.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “as the armed group said strikes on a village in Sanaa province had killed at least 27 people.”
- SupportedBoth sides traded blame over civilian casualties in Yemen.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “the Houthis put the civilian death toll from the past two days at 55, blaming Saudi air strikes, while Yemeni government officials have held the Houthis responsible for most of the casualties.”
- SupportedGovernment forces said they had repelled Houthi assaults in Marib province.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Yemeni government forces say they have repelled Houthi assaults in Marib”
- SupportedGovernment forces said troops were pushing into Houthi-held areas of al-Jawf.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “It said troops were also pushing into Houthi-held areas of al-Jawf province”
- SupportedThe Houthi-run Saba agency reported that strikes in Sanaa province killed at least 27 people.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “a series of strikes killed at least 27 people and wounded about 30 others in Sanaa province, the Houthi-run Saba news agency reported.”
- SupportedA health ministry spokesman said most casualties were women and children.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “He said most of the casualties were women and children.”
- SupportedGovernment forces said the army carried out 875 attacks on Houthi positions on Saturday.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “the army had carried out 875 attacks on Houthi positions on Saturday”
- SupportedColonel Majed al-Nazili said about 130 Houthi commanders and fighters were “neutralising”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““neutralising” about 130 Houthi commanders and fighters”
- SupportedGovernment forces said they destroyed or disabled 50 vehicles and missile launchers.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “destroying or disabling 50 vehicles and missile launchers.”
- SupportedMahdi al-Mashat vowed to “avenge” the attack.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Field Marshal Mahdi al-Mashat, vowed to “avenge” the attack.”
- SupportedYousef Mawry said: “Two narratives are blaming each other and pointing the finger at each other, while this is taking a toll on civilian casualties.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Two narratives are blaming each other and pointing the finger at each other, while this is taking a toll on civilian casualties,” Mawry said.”