The Yemeni National Resistance reveals its losses on the West Coast and accuses Iran of managing the Houthi attack

In its first statement since the loss of large sites on the Yemeni western coast, the government “National Resistance” revealed the cost of the battles it fought with the Houthis over the course of a month, and accused Iran, through the “Revolutionary Guard” and its allies in the region, of direct support and management of the attack that ended with the group taking control of large sites and areas along the coast.

The National Resistance Forces, led by Yemeni Presidential Command Council member Tariq Saleh, announced the killing of more than 500 of its members and the wounding of about 1,500 others, compared to more than 1,000 dead and thousands wounded among the Houthis, according to its statement about the battles that extended from August 9 to September 10.

The statement broadcast by the military forces media comes after a major field shift witnessed on the western coast fronts, with the Houthis advancing and taking control of Hays, Al-Khokha, Al-Mokha and its port, and extending their control to Bab Al-Mandab, Mayon Island, and the rest of the Yemeni islands in the southern Red Sea.

The "National Resistance" forces described the battles as one of the "fiercest battles" they fought against the Houthis, and said that the attack began with intense missile bombardment and attacks with drones and bomb boats, before expanding on the axes of Hays, Al-Kadha, Maqbanah, and Al-Barah.

She added that the Houthis sent in large numbers of fighters and reinforcements from various axes, in an attempt to change the balance of power on the ground and besiege the defending forces, while the “Republican Guard Brigades” and the “Tihamiya Brigades” of the “National Resistance” faced the attack.

According to the statement, the confrontations resulted in the killing of more than 500 resistance members and the wounding of about 1,500, while the Houthis suffered more than 1,000 deaths and thousands of injuries. The statement did not provide independent details regarding the losses it announced among the group's ranks.

The Yemeni “National Resistance” forces on the west coast linked the nature of the attack to the Houthis’ ability to mobilize forces and carry out simultaneous operations, and what they described as direct support from the elements and expertise of the “Iranian Revolutionary Guard” and its allies in the region.

She said that the attack was prepared in advance to exploit the nature of the terrain and fire control over a number of the ruling heights, and to attempt to impose a siege on the forces and destroy their combat ability.

She considered that the course of the battles revealed, in her estimation, the nature of the Iranian role in supporting the Houthis, accusing the group of implementing a project targeting Arab national security and international waterways.

In light of the intensity of the attack and the succession of reinforcements, the “National Resistance” said that its leadership decided to reposition the forces in new defensive lines, with the aim of preserving the “strike force” and thwarting the plan to encircle and destroy it.

The announcement of the repositioning is the most prominent thing the statement reveals about the military’s handling of recent developments, as the resistance did not present the step as an end to the confrontation, but rather as a measure to preserve forces and rearrange their deployment after the loss of large sites.

The statement praised the Saudi support, which it said continued until “the last moment,” in addition to the participation and support of the “Giants’ Brigades,” “Homeland Shield,” and tribal volunteers, considering this an embodiment of the unity of the anti-Houthi forces.

The statement indicated that Tariq Saleh followed the details of the battle and the progress of operations from the command headquarters, despite the headquarters being bombed, according to what was stated therein.

The “National Resistance” saw that what happened confirms the need to integrate the anti-Houthi fronts and move them simultaneously, instead of relying on a single military sector, with the aim of regaining the initiative and imposing a new military reality.

In an attempt to avoid holding Yemeni parties responsible for the loss, the statement stressed that the resistance is not about to “betray anyone” or engage in “settling of scores or political bidding,” calling for reading developments objectively, drawing lessons, and rearranging the papers for the next stage.

The National Resistance confirmed its continuation within the armed forces in confronting the Houthis, stressing that losing the battle “is not the end,” and that it will continue fighting with the rest of the forces opposed to the group.

The Yemeni leadership is tending to deal with the loss of government forces on the west coast as a painful setback on the ground, but it should not turn into a turning point in the course of the confrontation with the Houthi group, at a time when the government and the Presidential Command Council are seeking to rearrange the forces and regain the initiative, in parallel with containing the humanitarian repercussions of displacement and ensuring that state institutions continue to perform their functions.

In the latest expression of this trend, Sultan Al-Arada, a member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and Governor of Ma’rib, said that what happened on the coast is “painful and unfortunate,” but, according to his description, it falls within the nature of wars that witness hit and run, progress and retreat, stressing that the incident will not deviate the compass from the main goal. He added in statements reported by government media that the forces that withdrew from the coast were reorganizing their ranks, and that they would return to the battle “in one way or another.”

The recent field developments on the West Coast forced government forces to redeploy after losing sites and areas that represented part of their scope of deployment there, in light of a widespread escalation by the Houthis. The developments led to new waves of displacement, while numbers of military personnel moved to Marib, where Al-Arada said that the authorities prepared a camp for them and made arrangements to receive the displaced and secure their needs.

Al-Arada's statements reveal that the Yemeni leadership is trying to move dealing with the loss of the coast from the field of field shock to the path of reorganization and restoring the ability to fight. This is an approach that intersects with what Prime Minister Shaye’ al-Zindani put forward during the cabinet meeting in Aden, when he stressed that the difficult developments witnessed in recent days should not be understood as an end to the confrontation or a decisive decision on its course.

Al-Zindani said that battles are not measured by the result of a day or a change in location, but rather by the state’s ability to reorganize its efforts, mobilize its resources, support its forces, maintain the cohesion of its institutions, and regain the initiative.

It appears that the priority of the Yemeni leadership in the next stage is to rearrange the forces that withdrew from the coast and integrate them back into the course of operations, while raising the level of government support for the armed and security forces. The Council of Ministers confirmed that it listened to the Minister of Defense’s report on the military situation on various fronts, the level of readiness and operational needs, stressing the need to strengthen the forces’ ability to confront escalation and regain the initiative.

In Marib, Al-Arada confirmed that the governorate's forces are only thinking about victory and supporting the various fronts, indicating that the ultimate goal of the fronts, in Marib and elsewhere, remains the restoration of the capital, Sana'a. He linked this to what he described as popular will, stressing that the forces and leaders in the field bear a historical responsibility to defend the state and national dignity.

In another direction, the political leadership tried to send messages to the northern and western fronts to confirm that redeployment does not mean abandoning the confrontation. A member of the Presidential Command Council, Sheikh Othman Majli, visited the forces of the Fourth Emergency Division in Kataf al-Baqa’ in Saada Governorate, and was briefed on their readiness, deployment, and field missions, while the leaders there confirmed their continued readiness to confront the Houthis.

In Taiz, the governor's two undersecretaries for defense, security and development affairs stressed, during a visit to Sabr al-Mawadim, the necessity of raising the level of preparedness, mobilization and supplying the fronts, indicating that the local leadership seeks to maintain the cohesion of the internal front and not allow the recent developments on the coast to weaken popular support for the forces.

The attempt to overcome the loss is not limited to the military side, as the Yemeni government faces direct humanitarian repercussions as a result of waves of displacement from areas of confrontation. The Council of Ministers stressed that protecting civilians and displaced persons represents an urgent national and humanitarian responsibility, directing government agencies to inventory the needs and numbers of displaced people and provide shelter, food, water, health care, and basic needs.

Marib has a key position in this response, as Al-Arada said that those coming from the coast will find their environment and their people in the governorate, stressing that the people of Marib will stand by them as they are equal in rights and duties. The Council of Ministers also praised the efforts of the local authority in Aden in receiving displaced families and dealing with the repercussions of the escalation.

At the same time, the government seeks to prevent military developments from turning into broader unrest in areas under its control. Al-Zindani said that the government is managing the phase from the temporary capital, Aden, and is following developments, setting priorities, and making decisions in accordance with developments in the field, stressing that the escalation, despite its seriousness, will not turn into confusion in the work of the state or a vacuum that the Houthi group will exploit.

Politically, Al-Arada's statements represent a clearer declaration of the Yemeni leadership's transition from the priority of the peace path that it has adopted since 2022 to the priority of restoring the state, after it was considered that the Houthis had brought the peace path to a dead end and re-imposed the option of war.

He said that the Leadership Council and the government had made major concessions during the past years in an effort to end the war and stop the bloodshed, with the support of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the United Nations and other countries, but the Houthis, according to his account, rejected the peace efforts and returned the country to the war square.

This approach coincides with a government assertion that the Houthi escalation goes beyond the Yemeni arena, and is linked, according to the government’s position, to an Iranian agenda that uses Yemen’s strategic location to threaten the security of the region and international navigation.

The Yemeni Cabinet also discussed the repercussions of the escalation on the western coast, Bab al-Mandab, and international trade movement, warning of the dangers of threatening ships and supply lines.

The Houthi group launched a massive ground military attack between September 3 and 11, using huge forces of ground forces in conjunction with drones and missiles on the fronts of the western Yemeni coast, which led to the group taking control of Hays, Al-Khokha, and Mokha, all the way to Bab Al-Mandab and the Yemeni islands in the southern Red Sea.

The military escalation by the Houthi group west of Taiz Governorate and south of Hodeidah led to a massive wave of displacement, including 9,746 families and 68,338 individuals in six Yemeni governorates, amid government warnings of worsening humanitarian needs and an acute shortage of shelter, water, food, and health services.

Government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the current wave of displacement exceeds the capabilities of local authorities, at a time when low funding has led to limited interventions by local and international humanitarian organizations, stressing that the conditions the displaced are experiencing require rapid international action to avoid complications of the crisis.

The sources added that the continued military and retaliatory actions of the Houthis in the districts that the group entered, west of Taiz and south of Hodeidah, contributed to the increase in the number of those fleeing, noting that operations are continuing in the Taiz countryside towards the Jabal Habashi district, the Bani Omar district, and the areas close to it.

These developments caused an additional wave of displacement towards Al-Maafer District, Al-Turbah City, and other nearby rural areas, with continued fears of its expansion if confrontations continue in populated areas.

The sources warned that the Houthis' positioning in the highlands overlooking villages and farms exposes residents to danger as a result of the exchange of fire with government forces, in addition to fears of a repeat of the reprisals witnessed in other districts, which prompted large numbers of residents to leave their areas in search of safety.

The government unit responsible for managing the camps warned of the continuing waves of displacement, stressing that they double the humanitarian pressures on fleeing families and host communities, especially since many families were forced to leave their homes and sources of income without being able to secure their basic needs before leaving.

The unit confirmed that the continuation of military actions and clashes forced thousands of families to suddenly flee, leaving their homes, property, and means of livelihood, before reaching the hosting areas, and they lack the minimum necessities of life, most notably food, shelter, and safe water.

She pointed out that there is a serious gap in the humanitarian response, noting that no sectoral response was recorded for the 104 newly displaced families in Aden Governorate, with 57 of them living with host families in extremely difficult conditions.

The unit also recorded a severe shortage of tents, shelter materials, potable water, food and cash aid, and basic health services, warning that the continuation of this gap may lead to a further deterioration in living conditions, especially among the most vulnerable groups.

The unit launched an urgent distress call to local authorities, United Nations agencies, international organizations and donors, calling for the mobilization of resources and the intensification of humanitarian interventions to quickly reach displaced families and provide their basic and life-saving needs.

It also called for implementing an emergency response in parallel with conducting urgent field assessments, to ensure that aid is directed to the areas and families most in need, and to reduce the risk of worsening the humanitarian situation.

According to the unified report issued by the Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons’ Camps, the displacement of 9,746 families, including 68,338 individuals, was recorded in six governorates, as a result of the Houthi military escalation, bombing, clashes, and deteriorating security conditions, at a time when the needs of families who have urgently left their homes and sources of livelihood are increasing.

The displacement movement was distributed among the governorates of Taiz, Lahj, Hodeidah, Abyan, Aden, and Shabwa, with a large disparity in the numbers of incoming families between the governorates.

Taiz topped the list of hosting governorates, receiving 5,799 families, including 40,710 individuals, distributed among 12 districts, followed by Lahj, which received 2,132 families, including 14,923 individuals.

Hodeidah recorded the displacement of 1,471 families, including 10,297 individuals, while the number in Abyan reached 228 families, including 1,596 individuals, and in Aden, 104 families, including 728 individuals, while Shabwa recorded 12 families, including 84 individuals.

These numbers come in light of the continuation of military operations and the expansion of the movement of people fleeing areas of confrontation, which increases the pressure on local authorities, host communities and humanitarian partners, and makes the speed of intervention and mobilization of funding crucial factors to provide the minimum necessities of life for the displaced.