Al Mukalla: Yemeni government troops have taken control of new areas in Al Tuhayata district along the Red Sea as they advanced towards the strategic port city of Hodeida, the last major coastal area under Al Houthi occupation, local military commanders told Gulf News on Tuesday.
Backed by UAE air power and military logistics, pro-government fighters seized control of Al Ghowereq and Al Fazeh, a small area on the main road leading east to the historical town of Zabed in the province of Hodeida, after killing and capturing dozens of Al Houthi militiamen, Abdul Rahman Hajari, the commander of Tehami Resistance, told Gulf News by telephone. “Dozens of Al Houthis have fled the battlefield as we advance. We have seized arms and heavy military equipment,” he said, adding that massive air strikes by UAE fighter jets had cleared the way for his forces to push deeper into Al Houthis’ shrinking territories in Hodeida.
Troops from Tehami Resistance, the Giant Brigades and the National Resistance led by Gen. Tariq Mohammad Abdullah Saleh have launched a joint offensive against Al Houthi militants in Al Tuhayata and Al Jarrahi in Hodeida, and a number of mountainous areas west of Taiz. The troops pushed deeper into Al Tuhayata and liberated Al Waziyah and Mawza districts, and large swathes of land west of Taiz early in the offensive, pinning Al Houthis down in a few mountainous locations in Taiz. The Giant Brigades said in a statement on Monday that as many as 70 Al Houthi militants had been captured in mountainous areas in the recently liberated Al Waziyah district west of Taiz. Al Houthis were besieged in their hideouts for several days after government troops cut off supply lines.
The current offensive in Taiz and Hodeida is part of a major military operation in the city of Hodeida that is home to a major seaport. On Sunday, Yemeni and Sudanese troops backed by the UAE’s navy, air and ground forces resumed a major offensive on Hodeida after securing mountainous regions where Al Houthis could shell advancing forces.
Meanwhile, in the northern province of Jawf, government forces seized control of a chain of mountains in the district of Baret Al Anan, northwest of Jawf city, after heavy clashes with Al Houthi militiamen. Yemen’s Defence Ministry said government forces liberated Amoud Al Ma’atera, and Barom mountain range in Baret Al Anan after heavy air strikes by Saudi-led coalition fighter jets. Heavy clashes were also reported on Tuesday in the northern province of Saada, Al Houthis’ main bastion and the province of Hajja.
