Yemeni armed forces enter Ta’izz as Ansarullah advances across southwestern Yemen, while missile and drone strikes hit Saudi Aramco facilities, including the Khurais oil complex, amid the collapse of Saudi-backed positions and key supply routes.

SANA’A -- Yemeni armed forces led by Ansarullah stormed into the city of Tai'zz on Sunday as Saudi-backed mercenaries fled the streets, capturing one of the most important strongholds of the Saudi-backed fugitive former regime and triggering scenes of celebration across Sana’a and Tai'zz.

A Tasnim correspondent in Sana’a reported that Yemeni armed forces entered Tai'zz minutes earlier by the time we were going to print, continuing a string of victories that has shattered the Saudi-backed fugitive former regime's grip on Yemen's strategic southwest.

Tai'zz is among Yemen's most strategically vital cities, held for years by Saudi mercenaries with extensive Riyadh backing throughout the crisis.

Earlier, Yemeni armed forces began deployment in Al-Turbah city, taking control of former fugitive government buildings and institutions after Saudi mercenaries fled.

A military source confirmed to the Saba News Agency that Yemeni armed forces fully expelled Saudi mercenaries from Al-Turbah and the two districts of Al-Shamayateen and Sam'a in Tai'zz province.

Al-Turbah has a population exceeding 10,000, Al-Shamayateen over 26,000, and Sam'a more than 41,000 residents.

Yemeni sources stated that control of Al-Safiya, a strategic junction on the main route, has cut off the last remaining land route for transferring supplies between Tai'zz and the Lahj and Aden provinces.

The Tai'zz-Turbah-Tur al-Baha-Aden axis is considered the vital artery of Tai'zz city, and control of the surrounding heights grants significant geographical and military superiority to either side.

More than 20 military vehicles and 5 trucks loaded with weapons and ammunition belonging to the Saudi-backed forces withdrew from Al-Turbah toward the Sharjab and Tur al-Baha lines, while other vehicles fled toward the Al-Sahi, Hazzaz, and Zariqah roads amid an "unprecedented collapse" in their ranks.

In a symbolic blow to the Saudi-backed fugitive former regime, Yemeni armed forces entered the residence of Sultan al-Barakani, the speaker of the Saudi-backed fugitive regime's parliament in Yemen, located in southern Tai'zz province.

Verified images and reports confirmed the presence of Yemeni armed forces within the compound during the clearing of Saudi mercenary positions.

Senior Ansarullah member Hizam al-Asad confirmed the liberation of Tai'zz in a post on X, writing: "By God's grace and favor, Tai'zz has been liberated, and Aramco in Riyadh and Khurais are burning."

Yemen's armed forces spokesperson Yahya Saree said Sunday that Ansarullah launched ballistic missiles and drones at two Saudi Aramco facilities, including the Khurais oil complex southeast of Riyadh, saying both attacks "achieved their objectives" with precise hits that caused large fires.

Mahdi al-Mashat, president of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, praised the awareness of Tai'zz residents in confronting dangerous Saudi conspiracies.

He directed the acting governor of Tai'zz to activate the presidential amnesty mechanism for those deceived into joining the enemy's ranks, similar to what was implemented in the western coast districts.

"Based on the presidential amnesty, the armed forces grant full safety to all those deceived in the ranks of the Saudi enemy who abandon the fighting and return to their homes," al-Mashat said.

Omar al-Bakhiti, spokesman for the Sana'a government, expressed gratitude for the high level of collective awareness among Tai'zz residents who thwarted all attempts by the criminal Saudi enemy to strike at social cohesion.

"Tai'zz today expels the occupier and its mercenaries—these bandits who desecrated the bodies of martyrs—and Tai'zz will become the beating heart of Yemen after expelling the occupation forces," he said.

The capture of Tai'zz marks a decisive shift in the balance of power, consolidating Ansarullah's control over a vital corridor linking northern Yemen to the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Since launching a major offensive in early September, Ansarullah has expanded across parts of Tai'zz and neighboring Lahj, seizing the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Sept. 10 and Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, a day later, while tensions have intensified in the highlands overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The developments came as Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, boasted from the Saudi capital Riyadh the start of a large-scale military campaign to retake what he described as the remaining areas under Ansarullah control.

In a televised address, al-Alimi said the fugitive government was moving "from the preparation phase to the action phase" after weeks of military mobilization.

However, despite the Saudi-backed regime's announced counter-offensive, Ansarullah has maintained the initiative on the ground, with its forces continuing to advance across multiple fronts in Tai'zz province.

The capture of Tai'zz represents a decisive blow to the Saudi-backed fugitive former regime's ability to maintain its positions in southwestern Yemen, and a significant step toward consolidating Ansarullah's control over the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Yemen's western coast.