In a daring attack on Saturday, June 1st, 2024, the Director of Military Intelligence in Taiz, Colonel Abdo Qasim Al-Buhairi, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by a planted explosive device, according to a correspondent from "Barran Press" in Taiz province, southwest Yemen.

The correspondent reported that an explosive device detonated near Colonel Al-Buhairi's car shortly after he left his residence this morning. While the director sustained minor injuries, four soldiers accompanying him were wounded, one of them critically. They were immediately transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

A high-ranking officer in the Taiz military front, who spoke on condition of anonymity to "Barran Press," revealed that the explosive device was planted on the road leading to the director's residence in the Al-Aqurud area of Al-Masraakh district, southeast of the province.

The officer, preferring not to disclose his identity, stated that the explosion occurred at 7:30 am when Colonel Al-Buhairi was en route to the headquarters of Al-Mesraakh district.

He further pointed out that "preliminary accusations point towards the internationally recognized terrorist group, the Houthis," emphasizing that the assassination attempt was part of the Houthis' ongoing efforts to target military and security leaders in Taiz.

The Houthis have been accused of engaging in such "criminal acts" to discourage intelligence personnel from carrying out their duties of tracking cells operating on behalf of the group and uncovering their schemes against the people of the province.

It is worth noting that on May 15th, the security and military authorities in Taiz province announced the dismantling of Houthi-affiliated cells, listed as international terrorist groups, in the districts of Ma'afar, Al-Mawasit, and Al-Shamaytin, in the southern countryside of the province.

A recorded statement released by the media of the Taiz front, quoting the commander of the 35th Armored Brigade, stated, "Our forces, in collaboration with the security apparatus, have successfully apprehended Houthi cells after monitoring their suspicious activities in the area."

He added, "Authorities have apprehended 16 individuals who had made two separate visits to Saada during the months of Rajab and Sha'ban, confessing to responding to the Houthis' invitation for a three-day visit to Saada."

The brigadier general affirmed that "through investigations, it became evident that the purpose of the visit and the mobilization carried out by the Houthis was to gain popular support in areas not under their control and spread their destructive ideology and ideas."