Fighting escalated on Friday at the frontline in Mukayras district of Al-Baydha, with several pro-government brigades fending off an attempted advance by Houthi forces south toward Abyan. The clashes included strikes by coalition aircraft on Houthi positions, despite the coalition announcing the extension of its unilateral ceasefire.

The clashes at the Mukayras front have been ongoing since Friday at dawn, after the Houthis attempted to advance and retake positions the group had lost days prior in attacks by the Saudi-backed Al-Amajed brigades, according to military sources at the front. 

The sources confirmed that six members of the Al-Amajed Brigade were killed in the clashes. The Houthis could be seen transporting their dead and wounded by ambulance through the Al-Baydha road, although the number of casualties is unclear.

Reinforcements from the pro-government Giants Brigades arrived in Mukayras on Friday to bolster the Al-Amajed Brigade fighters. Airstrikes on Friday by coalition warplanes on Houthi positions in the nearby Taran mountains further supported the ground troops, and came despite the coalition having announced a one-month extension to the unilateral ceasefire it announced earlier in the month.

The Al-Amajed Brigade was established last year with support from Saudi Arabia, with the intention of retaking control of Mukayras and surrounding areas from the Houthis. Mukayras district lies in Al-Baydha, but historically was part of Abyan and locals often refer to it as being in Abyan. The frontline straddles the border between the two governorates, with the district of Lawdar being on the Abyan side.