Aden‑aligned forces retake peaks in Jabal al‑Khabb, pushing Yemen’s Taiz front closer to key areas
Over ten days leading up to 9 November, forces aligned with Yemen’s Aden‑based authorities intensified operations in the Jabal al‑Khabb range, recapturing heights including Jabal Hajijah and Jabal Kahbub and reaching the borders of Taiz governorate and areas around Al Hamra, Al‑Mahawla and Jabal Sanfah.
Fighting in Yemen’s southern mountains is again shifting lines around one of the war’s most contested fronts.
Situation reporting on 9 November describes how, over the previous ten days, units loyal to authorities based in Aden stepped up operations across the Jabal al‑Khabb mountain range. They are said to have recaptured several key elevations, including Jabal Hajijah and Jabal Kahbub.
According to the same account, these gains have brought Aden‑aligned forces up to the borders of Taiz governorate and into the areas surrounding Al Hamra, Al‑Mahawla and Jabal Sanfah.
High ground like Jabal Hajijah and Jabal Kahbub offers commanding views and firing positions over nearby valleys and routes. Holding or losing such peaks can quickly alter the balance for forces trying to move supplies, reinforce positions or protect nearby settlements.
For communities around Al Hamra and Al‑Mahawla and near the Taiz border, advances in the Jabal al‑Khabb range could change which side controls roads, checkpoints and basic access. The same shifts raise the risk of renewed clashes and shelling along the approaches to Taiz, a city that has long been at the center of grinding front‑line fighting.
Independent confirmation of the new front lines through mapping projects or later field reports, and any sign of counter‑attacks or withdrawals in the Jabal al‑Khabb sector, will show whether these described gains harden into a more durable change to the Taiz front.
Sources
- OSINT