Confrontations between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group continued during the past hours on connected fronts between western Taiz, Lahj and the western coast, with fighting intensifying on the heights overlooking Bab al-Mandab and the corridors leading to the coast, at a time when government forces announced the restoration of positions and repelled attacks and shot down drones, in conjunction with air strikes targeting Houthi fortifications and reinforcements.
The confrontations are concentrated in a geographical area starting from Ras Al-Ara and Al-Mudaraba in Lahj, and passing through Al-Waziyah and Kahboub, all the way to the southern countryside of Taiz, where forces compete for the heights and positions overlooking the supply routes and coastal areas.
Government forces said that they repelled a Houthi attack in the strategic Kahboub mountain range, and were able to recover large parts of the sites around which the confrontations took place, while limited pockets of the group remained in some sectors.
The Homeland Shield Brigades announced the downing of three Houthi drones on the Kahboub front overlooking Bab al-Mandab, and said that the Fifth Brigade in the First Division dealt with them before they reached their targets, without recording human losses or material damage.
In the vicinity of Kahboub and Al-Waziyah, the Southern Giants Brigades announced the targeting of Houthi vehicles and gatherings, in conjunction with the group's continued attempts to strengthen its positions in the region.
Local sources reported that two air strikes targeted a building in the center of Al-Wazi'iyah District. The sources said that the Houthis are using it as a center for support, logistical support, and moving reinforcements to the surrounding fronts.
She added that the building is located on the main road, about eight kilometers from the front lines, and that dozens of Houthi members were inside it when it was targeted, which led to deaths and injuries without a specific toll.
Recover a strategic mountain
In the southern countryside of Taiz, Yemeni government forces said that they had tightened control over Mount Qarfan in the Haradh Jardad area of Al-Shamaytain District, after violent battles with the Houthis.
The Chief of Staff of the Taiz axis, Major General Abdul Aziz Al-Majidi, said in official statements that government forces, backed by fighters from Bani Omar, were able to control the mountain, which he described as a strategic location within the mountain range overlooking Al-Wazi’iyah.
He added that control of the site came after battles with Houthi elements that were stationed there, noting that the confrontations resulted, according to government forces, in the killing of more than five members of the group and the wounding of about 20 others.
On the other hand, according to Al-Majidi, the Houthis continued to bomb government forces’ positions with mortar shells at a high rate, amid continuing confrontations in the region.
The highlands surrounding Al-Waziyah and Kahboub are gaining field importance because of their supervision over parts of the coast and the roads leading to it. Government forces say that the Houthis are taking advantage of the valleys, reefs and dense vegetation in Al-Waziyah to hide their members and equipment and secure supply lines towards the western coast.
Field developments during the past hours indicate a transfer of pressure between the fighting axes, as the confrontations calmed down in some sectors before intensifying in others, coinciding with the continued arrival of Houthi reinforcements, especially to Al-Wazi’iyah, according to field sources.
The previous day, government forces had announced the implementation of five air strikes on Houthi sites, vehicles and gatherings on the Al-Ahkoum Front in Haifan District, and said that the strikes targeted reinforcements that were on their way to the Haifan and Al-Sabiha fronts.
In western Taiz, the forces announced the thwarting of infiltration attempts and the downing of two drones, one of which was loaded with a mortar shell. They also spoke of restoring sites and hills in Kahboub and capturing seven Houthi members near the Saqya coast.
The Southern Giants Brigades, in turn, announced the capture of a Houthi leader and his companions and the destruction of the group's vehicles, at a time when air and ground operations continued against Houthi positions in Taiz and other areas.
Government denial
On another front, the issue of prisoners entered the media frontline, after the exchange of accusations between government forces and the Houthis regarding the killing of a number of prisoners of government forces in Al-Jawf Governorate.
The spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, denied a Houthi account that spoke of the killing of prisoners inside a detention site in Al-Hazm District. He said that what the group published was “untrue and misleading,” accusing it of trying to hold government forces responsible for the killing of the prisoners.
Al-Nuzaili said that no targeting operation had been carried out inside the city of Al-Hazm, whose military sites he said were under the control of the Houthis, calling on the group to ensure the safety of its prisoners and detainees and keep them away from combat areas.
The military spokesman stressed the need to inform the International Committee of the Red Cross of the sites where prisoners are held, as they are places that are supposed to be protected in accordance with the relevant rules of international humanitarian law.
He also accused the Houthis of trying to turn the issue of prisoners into a means to mislead public opinion, and linked this to what he said was Houthi targeting of a market in Lahj Governorate, noting that the markets are civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law.
In the same context, government forces announced the targeting of Houthi elements and equipment in the city of Al-Mukha in Taiz Governorate and in Al-Bayda Governorate, and said that their operations aim to limit the group’s ability to carry out attacks against forces and civilians.
Expected displacement of 230 thousand
These military developments come at a time when the displacement crisis linked to the recent escalation is expanding, amid a UN warning of the possibility of an increase in the number of displaced people in the coming weeks.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned that the number of internally displaced people as a result of the recent escalation may exceed 230,000 people over the next month if the current pace of fighting and displacement continues.
The UNHCR representative in Yemen, Armen Yedigaryan, said that more than 130,000 people have fled their homes inside the country since the beginning of September, coinciding with the continued flow of people through the Gulf of Aden, including more than three thousand who arrived in Djibouti, and hundreds of others to Somaliland and Puntland in Somalia.
The new wave of displacement adds to a prolonged crisis, as more than 5.2 million people had been displaced from their homes due to the war before the recent developments, according to the UNHCR.
Yedigarian said that more than 22 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance, including about 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers, noting that the response faces severe restrictions due to insecurity, movement restrictions, communications disruption, damage to roads and infrastructure, and lack of funding.
Taiz accounts for more than 60 percent of new displacement cases, according to UNHCR, while many families within the governorate itself remain unable to move to safer areas due to fighting, blocking roads, and lack of transportation and fuel.
Displacement cases are also recorded in the governorates of Al-Jawf, Ma’rib, and Al-Hudaydah, which, according to UNHCR, reflects the expansion of the conflict and the multiplicity of its fronts.
UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said that a number of mothers reported their displacement for the fourth time since the war began more than 12 years ago.
The Yemeni government expanded the scope of community support for the armed forces and fronts, by mobilizing various groups of society and governorates to participate in supporting fighters and providing basic needs to the fronts, at a time when the Yemeni leadership describes the confrontation with the Houthi group as a “fateful battle.”
Nayef Al-Bakri, Minister of Youth and Sports, Chairman of the Committee for Popular Support and Governmental Support for the Armed Forces, said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that the Community Support Committee works based on the directives of Dr. Rashad Muhammad Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Command Council, members of the Council and the Prime Minister, with the aim of organizing and activating popular support for the Armed Forces and fighters on various fronts, which includes providing food, oil derivatives, fuel and basic materials that fighters need to remain in their positions, in addition to the community’s contribution to providing moral support. And the material.
Multiple commission
Al-Bakri explained that the Community Support Committee includes representatives from a number of ministries, including Interior, Defense, Social Affairs, Transport, Health, and Industry, and works to consolidate and organize the community effort and coordinate support operations, in addition to the presence of a broader committee that includes representatives from more than 15 governorates, with the aim of unifying popular efforts and enhancing the state of support.
The Chairman of the Support Committee pointed out that their operations are not limited to the governorates located in the confrontation areas, as the security-stable governorates work to provide support and send convoys to the fronts, pointing out that several governorates are currently preparing to send relief convoys to the confrontation areas, and that Socotra Governorate will also participate in the support efforts.
Al-Bakri points out that community support also includes the health aspect, through donating blood and supporting blood banks in the governorates, in addition to the participation of merchants, commercial banks, investors, chambers of commerce, forums, and political forces, and that various social groups have become part of the support system, stressing that the committee aims to mobilize society with all its components to support the fronts.
Priority of fronts
Regarding the priority fronts, the minister spoke about Taiz, Al-Hudaydah, Lahj, Al-Dhalea, Ma’rib, Al-Jawf and Shabwa, in addition to other fronts in the governorates located within the scope of the confrontations.
He said that Taiz is engaged in what he described as a “decisive battle,” while the fronts of Hodeidah, Al-Khawkhah, Lahj, Kahboub and Yafa’ are witnessing confrontations, in addition to the fronts of Al-Dhalea, Ma’rib and Al-Jawf. He described Ma'rib as waging a "battle of dignity," while noting that progress and victories had been achieved on some of the Al-Jawf fronts.
He added that the Karsh fronts and others in Lahj and Shabwa also receive priority in support operations, stressing that “all the nation’s fronts are important,” but the nature of the confrontations requires focusing support on the fronts most in need.
Youth...and the committee
Regarding whether the Support Committee will prepare young people to join the fronts, Al-Bakri explained that the responsibility for recruitment and military procedures falls under the Supreme Military Committee, along with the competent military authorities, explaining that the governors, security committees and commanders of the military forces are working to accommodate young people who wish to join the armed forces and military formations.
He said that a large number of young people have already joined the ranks of the army and military formations to defend their governorates and all cities of the country, stressing that the battle is a national duty, requiring the support of everyone who has already moved in various categories to support the fronts.
The minister considered that the Iranian-backed Houthi group represents, according to him, a threat to Yemen and regional stability, especially in light of what he described as “its attempts to harm the security of navigation and regional waters,” noting that Saudi Arabia represents the first supporter of Yemen, which includes all economic, political and military files, in addition to relief and development support.
Field situation
Al-Bakri is optimistic that, according to him, the Yemeni Armed Forces will achieve progress in many locations, including the confrontations in Taiz, Kahboub, and Shabwa, with progress in Al-Jawf, in addition to the steadfastness of the forces on a number of other fronts, noting the participation of the Giants, Homeland Shield, Resistance, and Tribes brigades in the operations, and reminded that these formations are working within the framework of a single confrontation against the Houthis.
He also talked about the Air Force carrying out strikes on a number of fronts, and said that they contributed to reducing the capabilities of the Houthis and stopping some of their attacks, in addition to targeting a number of the group’s leaders.
According to Al-Bakri, the Community Support Committee places this move within a broader framework based on transferring the confrontation from being a purely military responsibility to a state of community mobilization, so that the governorates and society in all its categories become part of the support system, confronting a group that he says represents a threat to Yemen and the security of the region.
Regarding society’s ability to provide needs in light of the economic conditions the country is experiencing, the Yemeni official said that this is a “fateful battle,” and that the government and society will exert all available capabilities, pointing to Saudi support and what the “King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid” and the “Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen” are doing.
At the same time, the minister believes that the Yemeni people are “genuine and generous,” and that merchants, investors, and everyone who can provide support will not be stingy in these circumstances.
An American official confirmed that the United States is working with Saudi Arabia to strengthen regional and international cooperation to stop illicit flows of weapons components and advanced guidance systems for drones to the Houthis, pointing out that the recent sanctions on Tehran aim to dry up the sources of funding that enable Iran to support the group, and disrupt smuggling networks extending across the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
Neil Hope, Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Yemen, said in response to a question from Asharq Al-Awsat that the United States will discuss with Saudi Arabia and other countries "how we can work together to stop the illicit flows of weapons components, advanced guidance systems for drones and other equipment," noting that Washington is working in parallel with its regional partners, international forces, and countries in the Horn of Africa to intercept more of these shipments.
Hope explained, in a meeting with a limited number of journalists in Riyadh on Tuesday, that the new US sanctions on Tehran come as part of what he described as the “economic isolation process,” and aim to remove Iran from the global financial system and pursue parties that facilitate its oil trade or financial transactions, leading to reducing the funds available to support the Houthis.
He added: "The more we succeed in cutting off Iranian funding sources, the less money that can be directed to the Houthis."
“Zero leakage”
According to the US Chargé d'Affaires, the move includes imposing primary and secondary sanctions on all forms of trade in Iranian crude oil and refined petroleum products, in addition to pursuing parties that facilitate Iranian financial transactions through banks, exchange companies, commercial areas, or any other intermediaries.
Hope described the American approach as being based on the principle of “zero leakage,” explaining that Washington would not limit its pressure on Tehran to one sector, but would move in several areas at the same time.
He said that the United States is preparing to take “escalatory steps” against all parties that facilitate Iranian financial activities, using all the tools and powers available to it, warning that any foreign party that violates the sanctions will face measures that may deprive it of access to the American financial system.
He added that entities that use transactions denominated in dollars to violate sanctions may have their assets denominated in US currency subject to freezing.
Iranian ships in the Red Sea
Hope pointed out that the sanctions also include services, maintenance, and storage provided to the “Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines,” known by the abbreviation “IRISL.”
He accused the Iranian company of owning ships that operated in the Red Sea and had previously carried out cyber and intelligence operations for the benefit of the Houthis, in addition to transporting components for missiles and drones, and participating in transporting oil through what is known as the “shadow fleet.”
He said that the American measures also aim to circumvent Iran’s restrictions on exports of oil and refined products, explaining that Tehran used back channels, the “shadow fleet,” and networks located in Gulf, European, and Latin American countries, in addition to transactions linked to China and Russia.
Banks and airlines
Hope pointed out that there are strict primary and secondary sanctions on Iran Air and Mahan Air, and other Iranian airlines included in the sanctions lists, indicating that the measures extend to those that supply the two companies’ aircraft with fuel or provide them with technical services.
He stressed that companies that continue to provide these services, including entities operating within Gulf countries, may become subject to US sanctions.
He also talked about movements related to branches of Iranian banks, most notably “Bank Melli” and “Bank Saderat,” saying that Washington is holding “direct and firm talks” with the authorities in both the Emirates and Kuwait to ensure that the licenses of Iranian financial institutions subject to sanctions are canceled and their financial flows are halted.
Horn of Africa networks
In a related context, Hope acknowledged that stopping Iranian smuggling networks requires greater work with the countries of the Horn of Africa, explaining that some of these countries “suffer from limited capabilities, while others do not have sufficient will to prevent facilitation and smuggling activities.”
He added: “We still have a lot of work ahead of us, especially with Somalia and Eritrea,” pointing to Washington’s cooperation with the Somali authorities and the American and international forces operating in the region to intercept the transfer of weapons and advanced components to the Houthis.
He pointed out the existence of detailed media reports about links between the Houthis and armed and terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa, in addition to relationships with Somali piracy groups used to transport materials and equipment.
He also talked about reports documenting links between the Houthis and the Somali Al-Shabaab movement, explaining that these relationships were monitored by media organizations that followed smuggling activities and field movements in the region.
Movements towards Iraq
In response to a question about the support that the Houthis receive from Iraqi parties, the Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy said that Saudi Arabia and the United States are working intensively with the Iraqi leadership and officials in Baghdad, to push them towards taking a firm stance against the facilities provided to Iran and the Houthis.
Hope expressed a degree of optimism regarding the new Iraqi leadership’s handling of this file, saying that it has shown greater political will and has begun taking measures that reflect this will, although the steps implemented so far are still insufficient.
He added: “Today I see a degree of seriousness on the part of the Iraqi authorities that I did not see five years ago,” considering that the challenge has become linked more to limited capabilities than to the absence of political will, and expressing his confidence that progress can be achieved in this aspect.
