After Red Sea losses, Yemen’s government forces hold the line

Air strikes and difficult terrain have so far prevented the Houthis from turning coastal gains into a wider breakthroughYemen’s Houthi rebels conducted intense attacks across frontlines in Taiz governorate on Thursday, as the Iran-allied group attempts to build on its lighting offensive that captured the country’s Red Sea coast last month.Thus far, Yemeni government forces have been able to hold their positions on the frontlines and even claimed to have inflicted heavy losses against the Houthis.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Saudi Arabia not to compromise on security as Houthis choose ‘chaos’: MBSlist 2 of 3Why is Hegseth cutting 20 percent of US general and admiral positions?list 3 of 3‘We no longer eat three meals’: Yemen’s displaced face daily fight for foodend of listStill, there are few signs that the Saudi-backed government intends to begin a serious counteroffensive against the Houthis in the near future, despite the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi calling for a general mobilisation against the rebels on September 25.The government instead seems to be pursuing a more gradual process, building up its military forces and attempting to make them more cohesive.Abdul Basir al-Bahr, a senior official with the internationally recognised government army’s Taiz Military Axis, told Al Jazeera that the general mobilisation call was part of that effort.Al-Bahr said plans include bringing reserve personnel back into the military’s ranks and retraining them, alongside local anti-Houthi fighters and civilian volunteers.He stressed that the measures were at an early stage and their battlefield impact could not be judged yet.In Taiz, Al Jazeera’s field monitoring has found that fighting has continued since early September without any major shifts that can be directly attributed to the general mobilisation.The picture is similar on other fronts, including the Kahboub Mountains overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and in Lahj, south of Taiz.