AL-MUKALLA: Yemeni government warplanes struck a major military base belonging to the Iran-backed Houthis east of Taiz on Sunday, targeting fighters, military equipment and weapons depots, two government officials told Arab News.

In one of the largest air operations against the Houthis in the area, warplanes carried out multiple strikes on Al-Estegbal military base in Houthi-held Al-Huban, east of Taiz.

The strikes targeted Houthi reinforcements gathered at the base, as well as military vehicles, weapons and ammunition stores.

Videos posted on social media showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the base, followed by secondary explosions apparently caused by detonating ammunition.

Yemeni government officials said they believed a large number of Houthi fighters had been killed or wounded, including senior field commanders.

“This is the largest operation in Taiz so far,” an army official said.

“It was a smart and precise operation based on lengthy intelligence gathering, and its repercussions will be seen in the future.”

The official said the destruction of Houthi reinforcements and military equipment could help pave the way for government forces to advance into Al-Huban district, which has been under Houthi control since early 2015.

Another Yemeni government official confirmed that the airstrikes had targeted a gathering of Houthi fighters who had arrived from Taiz, Ibb and Dhamar.

Officials also said warplanes struck Houthi targets in flashpoint areas between Al-Wazi’iyah district in Taiz and Al-Madaribah Wa Al-Arah district in Lahj.

The strikes appeared to target reinforcements, positions and military equipment in support of Yemeni government forces battling repeated Houthi assaults aimed at seizing a chain of mountains overlooking the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

Earlier this month, the Houthis launched their biggest offensive against Yemeni government forces in years in Taiz province, initially pounding government positions with waves of drones and missiles before advancing on the ground.

Within a week, the Houthis seized six districts in Taiz and Hodeidah, including the Red Sea port city of Mokha, the base of the government’s National Resistance Forces, as well as positions around the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

The Yemeni government subsequently declared a “kill zone” around Red Sea areas near Mokha, where warplanes and drones targeted Houthi fighters and vehicles, including fighters moving toward the battlefield on motorbikes.

The Yemeni military also carried out pre-emptive strikes on Houthi concentrations and gathering points in areas under the group’s control, in an effort to prevent another offensive on the scale of the recent assault in Taiz.

On Sunday, a Yemeni government official told Arab News that fighting had subsided around the strategic Kahboub Mountain in Lahj, overlooking Bab Al-Mandab, and that Houthi attacks had reached a stalemate after meeting stiff resistance from the government’s Giants Brigades, Nation Shield forces and allied local tribesmen.

“The situation remains unchanged,” the official said.

“The Houthis attempted an attack but were repelled and made no progress. We currently control 80 percent of the Kahboub mountain range.”

Meanwhile, the Giants Brigades posted a video on Sunday that appeared to show drones dropping explosives on Houthi fighters sheltering beneath trees in Kahboub, leaving several motionless after the strikes.

Nation Shield forces also posted footage they said showed drones operated by their 1st Division striking Houthi positions in Dhale province.