Saudi-backed commander killed in Ta'izz clashes, Yemeni forces cut Sana'a-Ta'izz road

Major General Muhammad Salem al-Khawlani, chief of staff of the Saudi-sponsored Emergency Forces, was killed on Friday following clashes with Yemeni military forces on the al-Kadha front in Ta'izz province, according to reports. The Aden-based Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which is backed by Saudi Arabia, confirmed Khawlani's death but did not provide details on the circumstances of the fighting or the fate of his escorts.

Local sources reported that Yemeni Armed Forces have taken control of the road linking the capital Sana'a to Ta'izz, cutting off a key logistical route for Saudi-backed forces and bringing Ta'izz closer to what the sources described as complete liberation. Since Wednesday, Yemeni army soldiers and allied fighters from popular committees have launched operations on several fronts across Ta'izz province and city. Heavy clashes were reported in eastern Ta'izz as well as in al-Turbah, the administrative center of Ash Shamayatayn district.

Meanwhile, Saudi fighter jets have carried out a new wave of airstrikes on several neighborhoods across Yemen. Al-Masirah television, citing local sources, reported that a civilian was injured after Saudi warplanes conducted two airstrikes on farmland in al-Munqim village, in the al-Durayhimi district of western Hudaydah Province. Two more people were injured when Saudi fighter jets struck the rural Maytam area in southwestern Ibb province. Saudi aircraft also targeted al-Hijr Institute in the al-Qabbaytah district of southwestern Lahij province. According to Press TV, Saudi warplanes carried out four airstrikes on targets in Hayfan district of Ta'izz Province and two more on the al-Kadah area, with no immediate reports of casualties or the extent of damage.

The fresh Saudi air raids come amid escalating tensions between Riyadh and the Sana'a administration, which declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20 in response to what it called an unfair and tyrannical siege on Yemen lasting nearly 12 years. The Yemeni military has announced several operations targeting ships linked to Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a blockade on Yemen and launched a military campaign, backed by military, political, and logistical support from the United States and several Western countries. The war has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis. However, Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve its stated objective of reinstating a regime in the country that serves its interests, according to the report by Mehr News.