Evidence

A search turned up multiple outlets reporting this claim around October 20, 2026. Arab Times Online and Eurasia Review both carried reports citing Yemen's (Saudi-backed) government army spokesman stating that 129 Houthi fighters were killed and 176 wounded in clashes and airstrikes over a 48-hour period in Taiz governorate, as part of a broader offensive that also claimed figures like 558 fighters killed and 1,164 strikes on other days. Middle East Eye's live blog and Al Jazeera also covered related Saudi-backed forces' statements about strikes on Houthi positions in Taiz during the same general timeframe, corroborating that such claims were being made by the Yemeni military spokesperson, Al-Nuzaili. However, these are all reports of the same self-reported military claim by one side of the conflict (Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces) rather than independent verification of actual casualty numbers. No Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo assessment of this specific casualty figure was found in searches.