Yemen's government forces had conducted 356 "precise targeting operations" against Houthis across multiple fronts over the previous 24 hours, said Majid al-Nuzaili, a spokesperson for Yemen's government forces, on Monday.
In a statement, he said these operations used various weapons to destroy or damage Houthi command-and-control centers, weapons depots, field artillery equipment, military vehicles, and other targets, with 476 Houthi fighters being killed or wounded.
According to a government military official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Houthi forces launched an offensive against government-held mountainous positions in Al-Madaribah wa Ras Al-Arah district, a rugged area overlooking approaches to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, early Monday.
The official said the Houthis initially captured several positions after hours of intense fighting before government forces brought in reinforcements and launched a counterattack.
"We managed to push them back from the positions they had seized," the official said, adding that 28 Houthi fighters were killed and several others wounded during the fighting.
Warplanes also carried out several airstrikes against Houthi positions, gatherings and military vehicles in the area in support of government forces, the official said, without identifying the aircraft involved.
Also on Monday, a Houthi military source speaking on condition of anonymity said Houthi fighters killed 16 government soldiers and wounded several others during the fighting in Lahj.
"We advanced despite the heavy airstrikes," the Houthi source said, insisting that the group remained in positions captured earlier in the day.
Fighting has intensified across southwestern Yemen recently after the Houthis seized the strategic port city of Mocha and Mayyun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait earlier this month.
Yemen's conflict began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Yemen’s gov't forces report 356 operations against Houthis in 24 hours
The new school year in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh governorate has started with classrooms serving both as learning spaces and shelters for families displaced by Israeli attacks.
In the southern town of Froun, Bint Jbeil District, a local public school has been converted into a combined educational and shelter facility ahead of the school year's start.
Ghina Ammash, a displaced student living in the school with her family, shared her hopes for the year despite the difficult circumstances.
"We hope it will be a good school year, but we're staying here because we have no other choice. We want to study, succeed, and work when we grow up, and we hope it will be a good school year," said Ammash, a student at the Froun Intermediate Public School.
School principal Abbas Makki outlined the challenges the faculty and students face as displacement continues in Froun.
"Our student enrollment has dropped by half, and the start of the school year was chaotic. There are students who enrolled here but are unable to secure housing, though they were promised accommodation would be provided for them. We insisted on starting the school year despite the presence of displaced people so no one is shortchanged. We have set aside one floor for housing and another for teaching," said Makki.
In Nabatieh, the school year opened amid fears of further attacks and forced displacement, with some schools damaged or unusable.
Isaac Muhammad Hammoud, a local high school teacher, noted the staff's determination.
"Despite the many challenges we face this year - starting with our move from the main building of Hassan Kamel Al-Sabah High School to the Nabatieh Vocational School building - the teachers' determination to persevere and their sense of responsibility have driven them to overcome these hardships and show up to deliver their message," said Hammoud, who works at the Hassan Kamel al-Sabbah High School.
"There are many difficulties we face. The situation isn't good. We move about cautiously, never knowing when the enemy will attack, and we are displaced. Distance learning isn't enough, in-person learning works better," said Aya Zaitoun, a student at the shool.
New school year begins in southern Lebanon, with classrooms doubling as shelters
