Yemeni forces claim to seize positions in Taiz and Lahj
Shafaq News- Sanaa
Yemeni government forces said Wednesday they had captured new positions in the Al-Wazi'iyah district of Taiz province and the Al-Madariba district of Lahj province, following a rapid military operation.
According to a statement from internationally recognized government forces, troops took control of the summit of Mount Numan and the Dar al-Kafer area. It added that Mount Numan overlooks supply lines connecting Al-Wazi'iyah and Al-Madariba; securing the peak strengthens control over villages in the Madariba valley and the outskirts of Al-Wazi'iyah.
A correspondent for Al-Masirah, a television channel affiliated with the Yemen Houthis (Ansarallah), reported continued Saudi missile strikes on border areas of the Razeh district in Saada province.
Separately, the governor of Hodeidah province under the Houthi-run administration said the road linking the cities of Mokha, Al-Khokha and Hodeidah had reopened, with traffic reportedly moving smoothly.
Humanitarian Toll
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said more than 2.2 million children under the age of five in Yemen are at risk of acute malnutrition.
The agency reported that at least 15 children have been killed and 14 injured. Three more are still reported missing since September 3. It also said that classes have been suspended in 243 schools across Yemen, affecting more than 137,000 students.
Meanwhile, a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Yemen told Al Jazeera that 134,000 people have recently been displaced, most of them from Taiz province, due to renewed conflict in the country.
He noted that more than 3,700 refugees have recently fled Yemen toward Djibouti, adding that a state of emergency has been declared in countries hosting Yemeni refugees.
Red Sea Shipping Costs Climb
Insurance costs for oil tankers loading from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port have tripled over the past few weeks, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The rise in Red Sea war-risk insurance premiums adds a new obstacle to Saudi Arabia's strategy of developing an alternative route for its oil exports. Loading operations at Yanbu's main terminal had not resumed as of the report, based on a source, satellite imagery and shipping data.
Four sources told Reuters that declared war-risk premiums for tankers linked to Saudi Arabia and calling at Yanbu have risen to about 3 percent of a vessel's value. War-risk insurance premiums for tankers associated with Saudi ports south of Yanbu could rise as high as 7 percent of a ship's value, Reuters reported.
The head of Norway-based risk consultancy Heidmar Maritime also told Reuters that any tanker docking at Yanbu would be considered linked to Saudi Arabia and “therefore exposed to the risk of attack.”
