In brief
On Thursday, November 5, 2026, Yemeni forces struck a Houthi missile launcher on Mount Ba'dan and launched several airstrikes in Taiz and Lahj provinces, killing civilians and Houthi fighters. The fighting is part of the “Dawn of Yemen” campaign to retake states, and has now displaced more than 250,000 civilians since July. The United Nations and local sources report ongoing bombings, but the exact casualty figures remain disputed.
In a series of coordinated attacks on Thursday, November 5, 2026, Yemeni government forces shelled and struck Houthi positions across Ibb, Taiz, and Lahj provinces, claiming the destruction of a missile launcher and the killing of civilians, while Houthi rebels reported clashes and casualties that have intensified the country’s ongoing civil war.
In Ibb province, an airstrike on Mount Ba'dan—reported by Al‑Jumhuriya TV—destructed a Houthi missile launcher, marking the second strike in less than 24 hours. This strike followed earlier engagements in the same region, the channel said, but did not provide further casualty figures.
Meanwhile, Al‑Jumhuriya also reported airstrikes targeting Houthi positions near the villages of al‑Sarari and Dhi al‑Barah in the outskirts of Taiz’s Mount Saber district. Separately, Aden TV said that a Houthi missile strike on the al‑Athawir area of Hayfan district killed or injured eight civilians, including children, a fact that was corroborated by local civilian accounts but not yet independently verified.
In Lahj province, Aden TV described intense clashes between government forces and Houthi rebels at Maqaterah, al‑Sawalah, and al‑Zariq. The channel reported that an airstrike targeted Houthi reinforcements in Naqil al‑Saha, and that a vehicle carrying a 23‑mm anti‑aircraft gun was destroyed on the Maqaterah front by forces of the Fourth Military Region. It added that dozens of Houthi fighters are being transported to Khalifa Hospital in the city of Turbah for treatment, a move the government said would deter desertions.
The government also reported a large-scale campaign, stating that it had carried out 322 operations, killed 64 Houthi fighters, and destroyed or disabled 16 military vehicles. This figure, attributed to the Armed Forces’ staff, forms part of the “Dawn of Yemen” operation launched in early October aimed at regaining control over state institutions and retaking the capital, Sanaa.
Since the war began in September 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces, the civil conflict has displaced more than 250,000 people, according to United Nations data, and has killed thousands of civilians as fighting resumed in July. The United Nations also reported that the recent clashes have worsened Yemen’s growing humanitarian crisis, adding a new wave of injuries and a fresh military staff shortage.
Because both sides continue to fight on multiple fronts, the precise figures for casualties and damage remain contested. Domestic reports cite the death of eight civilians in Taiz and the destruction of a missile launcher in Ibb, while Houthi sources claim that their fighters suffered dozens of losses and that civilian deaths were minimal, a claim yet to be independently corroborated. The international community has not yet released a consolidated report on the day’s airstrikes, and the full geographic extent of the operation is still unknown.
