Yemeni Forces Capture Strategic Mountains in Al-Jawf

Yemeni government forces have captured the strategic Huwaishan mountain range east of Al-Hazm, intensifying their campaign against Houthi fighters in Al-Jawf province. The advance, completed on Saturday, November 1, 2026, followed several days of fighting and aims to weaken Houthi defenses, disrupt supply routes and strengthen government positions in northern Yemen.

Colonel Rabie Al-Qurashi, a government army field commander in Al-Jawf, confirmed that troops had taken control of the entire mountain range. He told Anadolu that the operation received air support, with warplanes destroying dozens of Houthi vehicles.

According to Al-Qurashi, the mountains constitute the first defensive line protecting Al-Hazm, the provincial capital still controlled by the Houthis.

"Government forces succeeded in breaking that defensive format with partial control over the Al-Alam front road," Al-Qurashi said.

The capture of elevated positions has also improved government forces' ability to observe Houthi movements and interfere with logistical operations around the provincial capital.

"The government advance represents a beginning to tighten the noose on the Houthis in the upper al-Labanat camp," Al-Qurashi said.

Al-Qurashi described the position as an important eastern gateway toward Sanaa. The government advance forms part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, launched the previous month to reverse Houthi territorial gains.

Military and strategic affairs researcher Ali Al-Dahab said the newly captured positions could influence the direction of subsequent military operations.

"The recent advances of government forces in Al-Jawf are a military transformation that serves the course of future operations for their arrival to al-Hazm city," Al-Dahab told Al Jazeera.

The mountain positions provide observation advantages and improve the government's ability to monitor supply movements. They also offer a psychological advantage during continuing confrontations.

"The government forces' recovery of a number of heights there provides a military and psychological morale advantage and confuses the Houthis' decisions, in addition to granting government forces monitoring, movement, and observation of Houthi supply lines and securing their own lines."

Al-Dahab said the strategic value of the terrain extends beyond its immediate distance from Al-Hazm.

Government spokesman Majed Abdullah Al-Nuzaili also described the recent operations as damaging to Houthi military capabilities. Separately, the Yemeni army reported 1,119 strikes against Houthi positions in recent hours, claiming that 427 fighters had been neutralized and 142 military vehicles, equipment units and transport assets destroyed or damaged.

The army said those operations supported ground troops advancing toward strategic positions and elevated terrain along the Al-Jawf front. These figures were military claims and were not independently verified in the available reports.

Security and political affairs researcher Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Awadhi emphasized the importance of maintaining steady territorial gains.

"The advances of government forces in Al-Jawf cannot be ignored or their importance underestimated," Al-Awadhi told Al Jazeera.

He noted that controlling elevated terrain can provide military advantages even when positions are relatively far from the provincial capital.

"Control over heights or mountain ranges in the desert Al-Jawf governorate represents points of military strength regardless of their proximity to or distance from the governorate capital."

Al-Awadhi also highlighted the government's potential advantage in open desert environments, where Houthi forces have previously experienced military setbacks.

The Presidential Council has appointed Major General Amin Ali Al-Akimi as governor and military commander of Al-Jawf. Yemen-focused analyst Ibrahim Jalal described the appointment as part of an effort to reorganize military operations and consolidate competing fronts.

"[His] reappointment… comes within the context of restructuring the theatre of operations and unifying the front," Jalal told Al Jazeera.

Al-Akimi comes from Dhu Hussein, a branch of the Daham Bakil tribe, and has tribal and military influence that could help mobilize local support.

"Hailing from Dhu Hussein, a branch of the Daham Bakil tribe, Al-Akimi possesses tribal and military influence that could help mobilise tribes, overcome divisions and bolster momentum on the ground. However, translating this influence into sustainable gains remains contingent upon unifying command and control, coordinating operations across all battlefronts, securing military and logistical support and strengthening anti-corruption efforts to improve the efficient management of military resources."

The Houthis, meanwhile, have claimed to repel government advances in Al-Jawf and neighboring Marib. Control of the province remains divided, with government forces holding much of the eastern desert district of Khabb wa ash Sha'af, which represents 82 percent of Al-Jawf's total area.

The Houthis retain Al-Hazm and 10 other districts. The province is strategically important because it borders Saudi Arabia and connects to Saada, Sanaa, Amran, Hadramout and oil-producing Marib.

Fighting has also intensified elsewhere. Yemeni sources reported two Houthi missile attacks targeting government military positions in Saada and Lahij, leaving more than 20 soldiers killed or wounded. One strike targeted a First Emergency Division position in Saada, while another hit a government headquarters on the Lahij coast where Southern Giants Brigades forces were stationed.

Separately, Saudi Arabia announced that its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward the country's southern region. Another ballistic missile and a drone had also been intercepted hours earlier.

Government forces have also continued operations in the Bab al-Mandab region and southwestern Taiz province. In Taiz, troops supported by the Popular Resistance targeted Houthi movements and reinforcements with air and artillery support.

The prolonged siege of Taiz city continues to affect civilian services. Governor Nabil Shamsan said hospitals were operating at just 20 percent capacity, while 120 health centers had completely closed because of restricted access to essential supplies.

"We urge the international community to secure at least one safe route between Taiz and Aden to enable citizen movement and the smooth entry of services, essential materials and goods," Shamsan told Al Jazeera.

More than 300,000 people have fled their homes in western Yemen amid escalating hostilities, while restrictions on food and fuel deliveries continue to worsen conditions for civilians in Taiz.