Over the past few hours, the Houthi group has intensified forced recruitment campaigns in a number of villages and regions of Ibb Governorate, targeting in particular young men and children, coinciding with the escalation of confrontations on the West Coast and Taiz fronts, and the group is incurring human losses, according to informed local sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.
The sources said that Houthi supervisors - based on directives from senior leaders in the group - began implementing recruitment and forced recruitment campaigns in a number of districts in the Western Square of Ibb Governorate, in an attempt to replenish their ranks with new elements and strengthen their military positions.
The sources added that recruitment operations focused on young men, in addition to targeting children in some areas of the districts of Al-Udayn, Branch Al-Adayn, Hazm Al-Adayn and Madhikhara, amid pressure and threats exerted against the families to push their children to join camps and sites affiliated with the group.
A resident of the targeted areas - who preferred to remain anonymous for fear that he or his family would be exposed to harassment - told Asharq Al-Awsat that since noon last Saturday, Houthi supervisors began moving between villages and residential areas, urging families to send their children to the front lines, amid increasing pressure on families.
He added that the campaign was not limited to young men, but rather included boys at an early age. Pointing out that some families are trying to avoid responding to conscription demands, for fear of throwing their children into areas of confrontation.
In another testimony, a resident of the governorate reported that the Houthi state of alert had become more apparent in a number of areas, coinciding with the intensification of supervisors’ movements and the holding of meetings with notables, notables and people of the targeted districts, with the aim of mobilizing new fighters.
He said that residents are living in a state of anxiety, with increasing talk about the possibility of the confrontations expanding and approaching the western regions of the governorate, adding that families fear that their children will be exposed to pressure to force them to join the front lines.
A local activist, who requested to remain anonymous, confirmed that recruitment campaigns have become a growing source of concern for residents. Especially targeting younger groups, calling for protecting children and preventing them from being involved in military operations.
In the Al-Udayn branch district, adjacent to the areas of Jabal Ras and Al-Jarahi in Hodeidah Governorate, local sources reported to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iran-backed Houthi group pushed dozens of new recruits to new positions, in conjunction with the establishment of military points and trenches in a number of towns, villages, and isolation areas located in the western regions of the district.
According to the sources, these movements came in the wake of a state of panic and alert among the group’s fighters, against the backdrop of what the sources described as the progress of the joint forces on the West Coast Front. The group faces increasing field pressure and losses among its members.
The sources explained that the group intensified its deployment in the western regions of the Al-Udayn branch, and worked to strengthen its positions and create new fortifications and points, in anticipation of any possible advance of the joint forces towards the areas adjacent to the district.
These movements come in conjunction with rapid military developments on the West Coast front, amid fears among the group - according to local and military sources - that operations will move to areas closer to Ibb Governorate.
According to the sources, the Houthi group is looking with concern at the possibilities of the joint forces advancing towards the city of Al-Jarahi in Hodeidah Governorate, then the Jabal Ras area, all the way to the western square districts of Ibb Governorate.
The sources believe that the proximity of these areas to Ibb Governorate explains - to a large extent - the state of alert that the group is witnessing in the governorate, and its attempt to strengthen its military and security presence by bringing in more members, intensifying recruitment operations, establishing new sites and points, and improving its fortifications in the western regions.
The sources indicate that these movements reflect - according to their assessment - the efforts of the Houthi group to prepare for any potential field developments that may be imposed by the rapid transformations on the West Coast Front. Especially in areas close to the contact lines.
The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, confirmed that the armed forces, which have proven their steadfastness and decisive deterrence, are capable of liberating all of the state’s lands and continuing their constitutional duty to defend their citizens and the country’s supreme interests, stressing their progress towards the comprehensive national goal of restoring state institutions, as an irreversible option, no matter the sacrifices.
During his contacts with military and field commanders, Al-Alimi appreciated the victories and important field gains achieved by the armed forces and all the formations stationed in the fields on the Taiz and Hodeidah fronts, praising the units of the “National Resistance, Giants, and Al-Tuhamiya” brigades that completed the liberation and security of the Hays District, and the heroes in Haifan, and the active role of the Air Force in supporting forces on the ground and dealing efficiently with hostile threats in various theaters of operations.
Al-Alimi said, “The Houthis chose this adventure, and tested the state and its armed forces on one of the most solid fronts in Yemen, and they will bear the full consequences. They must now realize that their miscalculations will open the doors to a comprehensive downfall for them,” stressing: “Taiz will not be a safe passage for the projects and agenda of the militia’s supporters, and the armed forces responded to its attack and seized the initiative on the ground.”
According to the official news agency, the president was briefed on the latest developments in the operations, the gains achieved on the ground, the level of combat readiness, and the procedures for stabilizing and securing the liberated areas, and clearing the rest of the sites into which the militia infiltrated, directing “to continue performing military tasks responsibly and competently, maintain the initiative, and raise the level of coordination between the various units and formations in the theater of operations.”
He also directed all military commanders, units and formations to “strictly adhere to the provisions of international humanitarian law and the rules of engagement, protect civilians and public and private property, facilitate the arrival of aid and relief for the displaced, treat detainees well, and preserve their dignity and rights,” and said: “The hand that bears arms in defense of the republic must also remain the hand of the state and the rule of law.”
Al-Alimi stressed that the sacrifices of the heroes of the armed forces and military formations “will continue to be a subject of honor and loyalty to the state and the people,” and that “the pure blood of the martyrs is what today makes the Yemenis’ path toward restoring their state, freedom, and dignity,” directing the competent authorities to “provide the necessary care and treatment for the wounded, care for the families of the martyrs, and fulfill their rights and entitlements, on the basis that this is a national and moral duty that does not accept complacency or delay.”
The President held the Houthis fully responsible for the violations that accompanied their criminal escalation, and their targeting of residential areas and public roads with bombing, snipers, and drones, and the resulting civilian casualties, kidnappings, and displacement of hundreds of families, noting that “these crimes will not be subject to a statute of limitations, and that the progress of the armed forces will continue to be accompanied by the highest levels of concern for the lives and safety of citizens.”
Al-Alimi renewed his call on all political and social forces, thought and awareness platforms, and the media, to “unify the national ranks, strengthen confidence in the armed forces and all military formations, and not be drawn into campaigns of doubt, betrayal, bickering, and healing that only serve terrorist militias.”
He also renewed his call on tribal people and those who were deceived in Houthi-controlled areas “not to throw their sons into a battle that serves a project that has nothing to do with the interests of the Yemenis,” calling on those still in the ranks of the militia to “return to the right path, and not sacrifice their lives for the sake of leaders who have chosen to become dependent on cross-border sabotage projects.”
Arab foreign ministers will hold a meeting, Monday, at the beginning of the 166th session of the Arab League Council at the level of foreign ministers. An Arab diplomatic source said that “the meeting will issue a decision regarding Iranian attacks on Arab countries.”
The source added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the meeting of the permanent delegates of the Arab League, which was held on Saturday, discussed the agenda of the ministerial meeting,” noting that “the delegates discussed developments in the regional situation and the repercussions of the Iranian war, in addition to developments in the Palestinian issue as it is the main Arab issue.”
The source revealed, “The permanent delegates agreed to issue a statement regarding Israeli violations at the conclusion of the ministerial meeting next Monday, along with the meeting’s decisions that will focus on condemning Iranian attacks on Arab countries.”
The permanent delegates held a meeting, on Saturday, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo, in the context of preparing for the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, in the presence of Ambassador Sherif Kamel, Head of the Office of the Secretary-General of the Arab League. The meeting witnessed Tunisia assuming the presidency of the 166th session of the League Council, succeeding Bahrain.
Ambassador Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal, Permanent Representative of Bahrain, stressed in her speech during the meeting that Arab national security is “one indivisible unit,” and that Palestine will remain the central Arab issue.
The Bahrain delegate condemned the Iranian attacks that targeted countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Kingdom of Jordan, and described them as “a blatant violation of international law and a threat to peace and security in the region, especially in light of the targeting of civilians and civilian objects.”
Bahrain reiterated its position “rejecting any attacks targeting the sovereignty of Arab countries or the security of their citizens,” warning of “the danger of such attacks on the stability of the region.”
In turn, Al-Hashemi Al-Ajili, Director General of Maghreb, Arab and Islamic Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Tunisians Abroad, said in his speech that his country “assumes the presidency of this session in a delicate and sensitive regional circumstance, in which the challenges facing the region are increasing,” stressing “the importance of Arab solidarity, consultation and coordination.”
He affirmed “Tunisia’s support for the Palestinian cause, the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state, adherence to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Arab countries, and strengthening Arab solidarity and unity of ranks, in a way that serves the security and stability of the region.”
The Economic and Social Council of the Arab League held a meeting at the ministerial level in Cairo last Thursday, during which it called for strengthening support for the Palestinian economy through a multi-year program to build capacity and provide technical assistance, and stressed the necessity of moving joint Arab economic and social work from the stage of “coordination and exchange of visions, to implementation and achieving tangible results, and helping unstable countries.”
In his speech during the Economic and Social Council meeting, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Nabil Fahmy, presented 10 priorities for the next stage, which begin with developing “an Arab model for comprehensive development that takes advantage of the human and natural resources of the region,” in addition to supporting the Palestinian people and developing effective executive mechanisms to support their economy, supporting Arab countries facing unstable situations, and activating Arab food security strategies.
