Yemen’s government forces said on Wednesday they had carried out 2,309 targeting operations against Houthi positions, killing an estimated 1,250 fighters and destroying or disabling more than 460 military vehicles. 

The figures are the government’s own claims and have not been independently verified.

Military spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said the strikes, carried out with warplanes, drones, artillery, rocket launchers and snipers, had broken down Houthi defensive lines and command-and-control centres.

He said this opened the way for government troops to advance into fortified positions. In Taiz province, he added, forces had stepped up airstrikes and ambushes on Houthi convoys and reinforcements to stop the group from regrouping.

The operation, called “Dawn of Yemen,” was announced earlier this month by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council. It aims to retake all Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa, which the Iran-backed group has controlled since 2014.

Government-aligned forces have since reported gains on several fronts, including around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. The government’s claimed tally has climbed steadily, from 2,103 operations and 1,860 fighters “neutralised” in an earlier statement last week.

The fighting is drawing in the wider region. A Saudi-led coalition has struck Houthi sites, while the Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets, including Riyadh.

The United Nations has warned that the escalating conflict has cut off life-saving food aid to 800,000 people, with hospitals overwhelmed by those wounded in front-line fighting.