Al Mukalla: After recapturing the oil-rich province of Shabwa on Saturday, anti-Al Houthis forces have completely taken control of the restive south Yemen as other forces battle the Iran-backed militants in the northern parts of the war-torn country.
After months of setbacks, pro-government forces which include south Yemen separatists, Islamists and army troops loyal to the president Abd Rabbou Mansour Hadi, have enjoyed a string of victories successfully gaining back strategic territories in the north and south.
The move has prompted Al Houthis to ‘tactically’ withdraw from most of the south in order to fortify their positions around the capital.
Over the past month, Al Houthis lost control of Aden, Lahj, Dhale, Abyan and Shabwa and are struggling to retain control over Taiz and Mareb.
On Sunday, pro-government forces said that they were very close to retaking Taiz after driving Al Houthis and allied forces of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh out of main districts of the city.
“We have seized 95 per cent of the city and we are just battling Al Houthis and Saleh’s men around the city’s airport and on the city outskirts,” said Rashad Al Shara’abi, a spokeman for the resistance in Taiz told Gulf News.
Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city after Sana’a and Aden, is considered to be the gateway to the capital, and capturing it would be a critical victory for pro-government forces.
Months of aggressive air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition have severely crippled the capabilities of Al Houthis in Yemen.
Al Shara’abi said that the victories can also be explained by the months of military training of thousands of fighters.
“After Aden was liberated, morale spread among all the pro-government fighters,” he added.
“Recent gains by pro-government forces underline a tremendous shift in momentum,” said Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and a former Yemen-based journalist.
“Al Houthis are firmly on the defensive now. There has been a definitive shift,” he said.
Inspired by gains, the Riyadh-based Yemen government vow to continue military operations until Al Houthis are fully driven out of key areas including Sana’a the capital.
Al Houthis are said to be fortifying their defenses in the capital by deploying more forces, local media reports indicate.
Observers are speculating that there will be a domino effect leading to a full-fledged collapse of Al Houthi control, Baron said.
“Demographics in the north are already favourable to Al Houthis,” Baron explained. “So, the repositioning of Al Houthi militants to the capital could pose a challenge for pro-government forces.”
Al Houthis have downplayed their recent military losses, saying that they are ‘tactical’ and that they are planning to stage attacks on the Saudis.
