The Yemeni armed forces announced on Monday, 12 October 2026, that they had carried out 1,879 targeting operations which they said were precise and direct against military targets belonging to the Houthis, as part of the ongoing ‘Dawn of Yemen’ operation, using warplanes, drones, field artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems and sniper units.
Strike toll and disruption of Houthi capabilities
According to al-Nazili, the operations targeted fortifications, defensive positions and command and control centres, as well as artillery and rocket-launcher positions and observation and reconnaissance posts. The list of targets also included mobilisation and reinforcement areas, weapons, ammunition and vehicle storage facilities, and transport and supply assets, while the statement described the Houthis as backed by Iran.
Airstrikes cut Houthi reinforcements in Taiz
In Taiz governorate, al-Nazili said airstrikes targeted Houthi reinforcements and convoys sent to the fronts, dispersing their gatherings and disrupting attempts to support their positions and reorganise their forces. He added that the strikes hit sites of military value deep behind the lines, helping to cut reinforcements and supply lines alongside advances on the ground and breaches of defensive fortifications.
Concurrent field reports said warplanes had launched a series of strikes on Houthi positions, reinforcements and weapons depots in the governorates of Taiz, Sana'a and Ibb. In Taiz, the strikes hit build-ups in Dhabhan, Hayjat al-Abd, Haifan, Akamat Hubaish and al-Dhubab, as well as positions in al-Arsum, al-Maraziqan, Jabal al-Mun'im, Tabat al-Khalwa, Sixtieth Street and the Central Security Camp.
In Sana'a, the strikes targeted a barracks near the airport and a missile depot in Hamdan district, while in Ibb governorate they hit fortifications and a missile-launching platform in al-Siyani district. The strikes came as military operations targeting Houthi deployment sites, missile platforms, weapons depots and command centres expanded in scope.
Houthi infiltration and clashes in al-Misrakh
In a parallel field development, reports said Houthi fighters had infiltrated the town of al-Misrakh south of Taiz and taken control of the Najd Qasim area, which contains a main road linking Taiz city with several rural districts of the governorate. The move coincided with clashes described as intense between the Houthis and resistance forces in the area.
A tally published earlier the same day had said that 1,732 air and artillery strikes had been carried out under ‘Dawn of Yemen’, with more than 900 personnel neutralised and 287 military vehicles and pieces of equipment destroyed or disabled. The later statement gave a higher tally of 1,879 targeting operations, around 950 personnel, and 380 destroyed or damaged military vehicles and assets.
Yemeni forces say they took measures to protect civilians as military engineers complete clearance operations
Al-Nazili said the targeting operations had been carried out, according to the Yemeni armed forces’ account, in accordance with international humanitarian law, while observing the principles of distinction and proportionality and taking the necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects during the strikes.
The military spokesman said military engineering units were continuing to clear mines and explosive devices from sites and areas retaken by the forces. He said the work was intended to secure the areas for troop movements and prepare them for the return of residents.
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi had announced the launch of the ‘Dawn of Yemen’ operation, setting its objectives as restoring state institutions, taking control of the capital Sana'a and ending what he called the “Houthi militia coup”.
The operation coincided with government-aligned forces announcing the recapture of strategic positions and the continued targeting of missile-launching platforms and their storage facilities.
