The increase in the intensity of the Yemeni fronts and the deterioration of the health situation in Taiz

The pace of fighting in Yemen has increased during the past hours with widespread confrontations between the government armed forces and the Houthi group, including the governorates of Taiz, Ma’rib, Al-Jawf and Lahj. The Yemeni army’s attacks exceeded 1,200 targeting operations against Houthi sites, gatherings and reinforcements, amid air strikes that targeted Sana’a and Saada, and the interception of missiles and drones launched towards Saudi Arabia.

The developments are accompanied by an aggravation of the humanitarian and health crisis in the city of Taiz, with its hospitals on the verge of stopping due to running out of fuel, in light of the continued siege imposed by the Houthis on it.

On Saturday, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced the interception and destruction of a cruise missile launched by the group towards the Riyadh region, according to the official spokesman for the coalition, Major General Turki al-Maliki.

This came after the interception of a drone in the airspace of the Riyadh region, and another in the Mecca region, and the destruction of two ballistic missiles launched towards the Najran region, according to coalition announcements over the past two days.

These developments come in light of the expanding scope of military confrontations, missile and drone escalation, and aerial bombardment related to the ongoing war in the country and Operation “Yemen Dawn,” which was launched by the head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, more than a month ago, with the aim of restoring state institutions from the grip of the Houthi group.

Military sources reported that the Southern Giants Forces and the Popular Resistance achieved, on Saturday, new field progress on the Mudaraba Front in Lahj Governorate, after taking control of a number of gates and strategic sites, following violent confrontations with Houthi elements, of which they were able to capture a number.

The confrontations in Al-Jawf Governorate extended to the fronts southeast of the city of Al-Hazm, as the Yemeni armed forces fought the battles with the support of military and drone aircraft, while they were able to confront multiple combat formations south and southeast of the governorate, according to army data.

The clashes witnessed the participation of artillery and rocket launchers along the front lines, and the Yemeni army says that its forces dealt with the sources of Houthi fire and inflicted losses on the combat groups that pushed the group to the lines of contact.

The army added that warplanes carried out five raids targeting Houthi military concentrations and vehicles, which resulted in the destruction and damage of a number of equipment and vehicles and the killing and wounding of members of the group's ranks.

Field military sources in Ma'rib say that government forces are close to controlling the strategic Mas camp, after recovering a number of vital sites in the Mahzam Mas area near the camp, amid the retreat of the group's members.

A Yemeni military official spoke of the outbreak of violent battles in Wadi Halhalan in Ma’rib Governorate, which he said resulted in the capture of dozens of Houthi militants, while repelling attacks through which the group attempted to regain positions it lost during the past hours.

In Taiz Governorate (southwest), the Yemeni Armed Forces confirmed that, with the support of the popular resistance, they were able to thwart a Houthi attack that lasted hours on the Al-Aqroud front, confirming that the attackers suffered losses.

Drones belonging to the Taiz axis targeted gatherings of the group’s members below the Al-Najd area in Al-Misrakh District, and another gathering in the Al-Saher area.

These confrontations come as an extension of the battles taking place on the Al Shaqab and Aqroud fronts, especially in the areas of Sanamat and Al Sarari, where the Yemeni army announced targeting Houthi positions and movements and forcing groups of the group's members to retreat, with support from military and drone aircraft.

On the Tur al-Baha front in Lahj Governorate, the Yemeni army announced that the Homeland Shield and Giants forces were able to control new sites and confront Houthi attacks and infiltration attempts.

Meanwhile, the official spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, announced the implementation of 1,211 targeting operations against Houthi sites, gatherings, reinforcements, vehicles, and sources of fire as part of Operation “Yemen Dawn.”

Al-Nazili explained that the operations, in which warplanes, drones, artillery, and rocket launchers were used, resulted, according to the announced military outcome, in the neutralization of about 387 of the group’s leaders and members, and the destruction and damage of 96 means, machinery, military vehicles, and a missile launching pad.

The group announced that sites under its control were subjected to air strikes in the districts of Maran, Sahar, Shada, and Al-Zahir in Saada Governorate.

On the humanitarian side, hospitals in the city of Taiz are facing the risk of stopping work as the fuel stock necessary to operate electrical generators approaches exhaustion, in a crisis that threatens the continuation of medical services, especially in dialysis departments, intensive care, and child incubators.

Health officials in the governorate warned that the remaining diesel stock in Al-Thawra General Hospital is only enough for 48 hours, threatening the shutdown of vital departments, including emergency, dialysis, intensive care, and the burn center.

According to health sector officials, about 40 percent of hospitals have stopped providing their services, while the operational efficiency of health facilities has declined by 50 percent, due to a shortage of fuel, medicines, and medical supplies.

The medical committee in Taiz warned of the continued deterioration of health conditions, noting that about 80 percent of health facilities have stopped working, amid a decline in the ability of the remaining facilities to receive patients and wounded.

The Egyptian Committee in the Gaza Strip intensified its movements seeking to mitigate the repercussions of the “air depression” that caused the sinking of a large number of tents and the displacement of thousands of families who live amidst infrastructure destroyed by the Israeli war on the Strip, and in light of the difficulties facing the process of early recovery and reconstruction, in addition to the obstacles to the introduction of humanitarian aid.

On Friday evening, the Egyptian Committee announced the activation of the emergency plan with the participation of its field cadres and operating mechanisms, in preparation for confronting the repercussions of the “air depression.” The plan included opening roads, removing obstacles, and distributing tents to affected and displaced families, in addition to strengthening and installing existing tents, in a way that contributes to reducing the effects of rain and wind and protecting Palestinian families, according to a statement issued by the committee.

Thousands of displaced persons' tents in the Gaza Strip sank with the first air depression to hit the region, according to official Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses, on Saturday. The Strip, which is inhabited by nearly two million people, the majority of whom live in camps, tents and damaged residential buildings, witnessed heavy rains from the early hours of Friday night until Saturday morning.

The spokesman for the Egyptian Committee in the Gaza Strip, Mohamed Mansour, said that the committee, in partnership with international and relief organizations, has implemented an “emergency plan” to deal with the repercussions of the deep air depression on the Gaza Strip, indicating that the plan aims for rapid intervention with the participation of specialized mechanisms that arrived from Egypt to deal with the heavy rains, and that field teams have begun their movements in the various governorates of the Strip, and are working around the clock to respond to humanitarian calls after receiving thousands of calls for help.

He added in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, on Saturday, that “the Gaza Strip lacks the slightest resistance to life and the situation has become tragic, and we appeal to the world and international and humanitarian institutions to intensify efforts to provide the needs. There are 480,000 families in the Gaza Strip in need of urgent aid, and the Gaza Strip lacks parachutes and is in need of blankets, shoes and clothes for children.”

He pointed out that during the recent period, the Egyptian Committee renovated tents and built entire camps, but the heavy rains and their mixing with sewage water made them dilapidated and unsuitable after they flooded the places where the displaced were living. He explained that Gaza needs to bring in equipment to deal with the current situation, with the need for relief efforts to be united, and for the world to respond quickly to the call to deliver aid to Gaza.

According to the Palestinian News Agency, Wafa, the number of tents sheltering displaced families throughout the Gaza Strip is estimated at approximately 270,000 tents. The agency said that these temporary tents are “made of nylon and thin fabric,” and lack “the most basic elements of protection from rain, wind, and extreme cold.”

The report indicated that more than 400,000 displaced people live in “high-risk locations exposed to floods and rainwater accumulation, or near the seashore.” “This increases their chances of being exposed to the dangers of weather depressions and winter storms,” in light of “the absence of fuel and the scarcity of heating means.”

While the coalition of “Palestinian civil society organizations” revealed that “hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Gaza Strip are facing the winter without shelter in light of the widespread destruction and lack of protection,” explaining that “damaged tents, the absence of heating means, and a shortage of winter clothing threaten the lives of the displaced in Gaza.”

The coalition of "Palestinian civil society organizations" warned that "the risks of drowning and the spread of diseases and epidemics are exacerbated by weather depressions and poor rainwater drainage in Gaza," stressing that "leaving the displaced in Gaza to face the cold and rain without providing shelter and protection needs exacerbates the humanitarian crisis."

The coalition called for providing rain- and wind-resistant tents, replacing damaged tents in the Gaza Strip, improving rainwater drainage networks, and preparing shelter centers and displacement sites in Gaza, while giving priority to children, women, the elderly, the sick, and people with disabilities in providing winter aid.

The Yemeni government intensified its diplomatic movements in the German capital, Berlin, to mobilize European political and economic support that enhances its ability to confront the Houthi escalation and restore state institutions, in conjunction with warnings of the Iranian-backed group’s threat extending to the security of international navigation and global trade interests, and calls to correct what the government described as false narratives regarding the Yemeni crisis.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Dr. Afrah Al-Zouba, confirmed during a series of meetings with German officials and parliamentarians, Arab diplomats, experts and representatives of research centres, that continued international leniency towards Houthi violations has encouraged the group to expand its destabilizing activities and transfer its threats from within Yemen to the vital sea lanes in the region.

In a roundtable session organized by the German Korber Foundation as part of the “Berlin Political Breakfast” event, the Minister reviewed the roots of the Yemeni crisis since the Houthis’ coup against the national consensus and the legitimate government in September 2014, and their invasion of the capital, Sana’a, by force of arms, and undermining the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, leading to the recent military escalation and attempts to target international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Al-Zouba said that the group's escalatory behavior constitutes a direct threat to regional and international peace and security, warning that international silence and leniency towards its violations gives it space to continue threatening global trade.

Within the same movements, the Yemeni minister, during her participation in another round table organized by the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, warned of the extension of the Houthi threat to the security of the region and international navigation, pointing to the targeting of shipping lines and coordination with terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa, including the Somali Al-Shabaab movement.

Al-Zuba linked the Houthis’ rejection of peace efforts to their attempts to impose control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the launch of Operation “Yemen Dawn,” saying that the operation aims to restore state institutions and protect sea lanes from threats to international navigation and trade.

She called on the participants, including officials, experts, and members of the ruling party in Germany, to convey an accurate picture of Yemeni developments to their institutions and decision-makers, and to correct the false narratives about the crisis, in order to ensure that the voice of the Yemenis and the repercussions of the military and humanitarian escalation on them are heard.

In this context, she stressed that supporting the Yemeni government politically, economically and humanitarianly represents an essential gateway to strengthening its ability to carry out its responsibilities, establishing stability and restoring state institutions.

The humanitarian situation in the city of Taiz occupied a major aspect of the Minister’s discussions. It highlighted the continuation of the Houthi siege and the resulting prevention of the entry of food, medicine, and basic supplies, the closure of health facilities, and the obstruction of the evacuation of the sick and wounded through safe corridors.

She stressed that these practices represent collective punishment against civilians, and exacerbate the suffering of the most vulnerable groups, especially women and children, noting that the siege caused the death of a number of civilians as a result of their inability to obtain the necessary care and medical supplies.

During her meeting with the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the German Parliament, Armin Laschet, Al-Zuba discussed the developments of the Yemeni crisis and its regional repercussions, stressing that the threat to freedom of navigation and global trade represents an extension of the destabilizing Houthi behavior since the group took control of state institutions.

Al-Zuba also reviewed the efforts made by the internationally recognized government, starting from the temporary capital, Aden, to advance service and development responsibilities, stressing that the stability of state institutions and securing its own resources represent a major entry point to address the humanitarian crisis in a sustainable manner.

She called on Germany and European partners to provide urgent political and economic support to the government, with a focus on building national capabilities, especially the Coast Guard and maritime border monitoring forces, in order to enhance their ability to combat the smuggling of Iranian weapons and military technologies to the Houthis.

The Yemeni official media reported that Laschet expressed his concern about the Houthi violations of human rights, especially the recruitment of children and the deterioration of the living conditions of civilians, stressing that targeting navigation in the Red Sea affects the economic security of the European Union countries and the world.

The German official stressed the need for the parliament and government in his country to develop, in coordination with the European Union, a new strategy for dealing with the Yemeni file that keeps pace with rapid developments and protects regional and international security.