Major General Mohammad al-Kholani, Chief of Staff of the Emergency Forces at the Interior Ministry of Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), has been killed in clashes on the Al-Kadha front in Taiz Governorate, southwestern Yemen.

The PLC confirmed his death without giving further details on the circumstances of the fighting.

What We Know
The Interior Ministry said he was killed in confrontations with the Houthi group on the Al-Kadha front. The Houthi-aligned Yemeni Press Agency reported that his vehicle was targeted on the front. This claim has not been independently verified.
Government forces reported fierce fighting with the Houthis on several Taiz fronts on Thursday, including Al-Kadha.

Why It Matters
Al-Kholani is the highest-ranking security or military official whose death the Yemeni government has announced since the military escalation resumed last July. His killing shows how intense the fighting around Taiz has become, and it comes as the regional standoff with Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia raise fears of wider escalation.

– Burhan Arbi

Sources
⦁ The New Arab, “As tankers struck in Hormuz, Trump deploys thousands of US soldiers,” October 2026.
https://www.newarab.com/news/tankers-hit-hormuz-trump-deploys-thousands-us-troops
⦁ Yemeni Press Agency (YPA), “Saudi-backed ‘chief of staff of emergency forces’ killed by Sanaa forces in Taiz,” October 1, 2026.
https://en.ypagency.net/407112