SANA’A -- Yemen's armed forces have consolidated control over a strategic district in northern Lahj and cleared the remaining areas of the Haifan front in Ta’izz, military officials said on Friday, as the Sana’a-based military pressed a rapid ground campaign across southern frontlines while simultaneously striking Saudi oil and aviation infrastructure deep inside the kingdom.

Hizam al-Assad, a member of Ansarullah's political bureau, said the armed forces have secured the remaining parts of the Haifan front and defeated three enemy military brigades in Lahj governorate, according to Al Mayadeen.

He said the forces have taken control of al-Maqatirah district, including its center at Souq al-Rubou and its historic fortress, and are pursuing Saudi-linked deployments toward the Tur al-Bahah district from several directions.

A local source told Al Mayadeen that the armed forces were continuing to advance in parts of Lahj to secure the Ta’izz front and surrounding areas, with operations also pressing across several fronts in Ta’izz governorate.

The advances build on weeks of gains along Yemen's southwestern coast, where the armed forces have moved to consolidate control over the strategic Bab el-Mandab Strait and the approaches to Ta’izz, a province whose western coastline and mountain routes link Yemen's interior to the Red Sea.

The Sana’a government has previously said its forces are positioned to prevent a bloodbath while allowing pro-Riyadh troops safe passage out of contested areas, and that a general amnesty remains in effect for all except those facing prosecution for crimes.

The ground advances came as Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced late Thursday that the military had carried out six operations targeting strategic sites across Saudi Arabia, using ballistic missiles and drones in retaliation for Saudi strikes on Yemeni civilians.

Saree said the strikes were carried out "in response to the brutal Saudi aggression targeting our country and our people, and in retaliation for the recent massacres that claimed the lives of dozens of martyrs and wounded, most of whom were women and children".

The first operation targeted the Ras Tanura oil refinery with a ballistic missile, described as a precise strike. The second hit the Aramco facility in Abqaiq with a missile.

The third involved a salvo of missiles fired at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while the fourth used a drone to strike King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, disrupting air traffic.

The fifth targeted the Rabigh oil refinery with a ballistic missile, and the sixth struck a headquarters used for Saudi troop buildups in the southern Najran region, causing casualties among Saudi soldiers.

Saree said Saudi attacks on Yemen had targeted Sa’ada, Hajjah, al-Bayda, al-Jawf, Ta’izz, and Lahj, involving F-15 and Typhoon aircraft and missile strikes launched from Najran, and that the total number of Saudi air and missile strikes since the latest aggression began had reached 3,596.

In a speech marking Martyrs' Day on Thursday, Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi called on Riyadh to end its military aggression and lift the siege on Yemen, saying continued aggression will only bring further losses for Saudi Arabia.

He said the military attack against Yemen began in March 2015 under U.S. supervision, with British participation and Israeli support, while Saudi Arabia served as the principal instrument for carrying out and financing the operations.

Al-Houthi rejected Saudi allegations that Yemen intended to attack the Islamic holy sites in Mecca and Medina as baseless, and said the holy sites belong to the entire Muslim community rather than exclusively to Saudi Arabia.

He also said Saudi Arabia has allowed Israeli aircraft access to the airspace over the holy cities while restricting Yemen's own airspace.

Addressing residents of Yemen's southern provinces, he said the armed forces will not target them but will instead focus on gatherings of Saudi military personnel.

"We assure our kin and loved ones in the southern provinces that they are not the targets of our armed forces. The only targets are the Saudi-led military mobilizations—commanded by Saudi officers."

The escalation follows Saudi Arabia's July bombing of Sana'a International Airport, after which the Yemeni armed forces adopted a "blockade for blockade" policy and declared a maritime embargo on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.

The Yemeni military has since announced several naval operations targeting ships linked to Saudi Arabia, reinforcing its control over Bab el-Mandab and impacting Riyadh's energy exports.