Aden (South24)

The Southern Armed Forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) lost seven of its members while three others were injured during this week in attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia on the fronts of Al-Dhalea and Lahj governorates.

On Friday (January 17), the Southern forces repelled a major attack by the Houthis on the Tursah front in Al-Azaq district in Al Dhalea Governorate, adjacent to the Houthi-controlled Mawiah district in Taiz Governorate.

A military source told the South24 Center that four members of the Southern forces were killed during this attack and three others were injured. An unknown number of Houthi attackers were also killed and many wounded in the incident.

On Saturday (January 18), a Southern forces soldier was killed in a Houthi sniper attack on the Al-Fakher front in Al Dhalea Governorate. Another soldier was killed the following day in a Houthi attack on the Habil Hanash front in Lahj Governorate.

The Houthi escalation coincided with the North Yemeni militia’s announcement that it would halt its military operations against ships traversing the Red Sea, except for Israeli ships, to comply with the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

During 2024, the Houthis launched 33 attacks on Southern forces, killing 47 soldiers and wounding eight others, according to the South24 Center’s comprehensive annual report on Yemen.