Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Shaye Mohsen al-Zindani said on Saturday that the Houthi escalation is not a passing development or just a new round of confrontation, but rather a broad and dangerous escalation that goes beyond the Yemeni arena, and is linked to an Iranian agenda that uses Yemen and its strategic location to threaten the security of the region and international navigation, stressing that the government’s responsibility is to manage this stage with the mind of the state, away from exaggeration, denial, or leaving room for rumors and inaccurate estimates, according to the official news agency (Saba).
Al-Zindani added, during a cabinet meeting in the temporary capital, Aden, to discuss developments in the military, security, political, economic, and humanitarian situation, in light of the Houthi escalation, that the government is dealing with the current stage with full responsibility and awareness of the magnitude of the challenges, and is managing this stage from the temporary capital, Aden, through integrated follow-up of developments, assessing the situation, setting priorities, and taking the necessary directives and decisions, in accordance with developments in the field, and in continuous coordination with the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council and members of the Council, pointing out that the government is present alongside the citizens. And among them, it works around the clock and carries out its responsibilities, stressing that the current escalation, despite its seriousness, will not turn into confusion in the work of the state or a vacuum that will be exploited by the Houthi militia and those behind it.
The Yemeni Prime Minister reassured citizens in various governorates that the government places their security and safety at the top of its priorities, and that its duty is not limited to dealing with military developments, but rather includes protecting people’s lives, maintaining basic services, securing their needs, and dealing with the economic and humanitarian impacts of the escalation, stressing the need not to allow rumors and misleading rhetoric to sow fear or confuse the home front.
The Council of Ministers listened to the Minister of Defense’s report on the military and field conditions on various fronts, developments in the confrontations in light of the recent Houthi escalation, and the level of readiness and operational needs of the forces stationed on the battlefields, reviewing what the stage requires of raising the level of government support for the armed and security forces and all military formations, and enhancing their ability to protect citizens, confront escalation, and regain the initiative.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati and his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, affirmed “the positive role of the Egyptian community in various sectors in the State of Kuwait,” in a move that a representative of the community considered an official message of reassurance, following the state of anxiety raised by a Kuwaiti decision to terminate the contracts of 7,000 male and female expatriate teachers.
About 7,000 male and female teachers of different nationalities received notices of termination of their contracts through the “Sahl” application designated for government transactions. According to Kuwaiti newspapers, “this measure comes within a government plan to address the surplus of male and female teachers in the educational sector in the country.”
The notices were titled “Contract Termination Notice,” and the first phase includes terminating the services of about 7,19 male and female teachers contracted in the specializations in which the data showed a surplus, in accordance with the approved administrative and legal procedures, and in a way that guarantees their job rights, according to Kuwaiti newspapers.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister made a phone call to his Kuwaiti counterpart on Saturday, and according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, “the call discussed bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries.”
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement indicated that the “positive role played by the Egyptian community in various sectors in Kuwait” was emphasized during the call.
The two ministers discussed “regional developments and the ongoing escalation in the region,” and stressed “the necessity of concerted efforts to reduce the escalation and work to prevent it from getting out of control.” The two ministers agreed to “continue coordination in this regard during the coming period,” according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
It is not clear what percentage of Egyptian teachers will be included in the decision to terminate the contract, according to the representative of the Egyptian community in Kuwait, Nayef Othman, who said, “The decision has not been implemented yet, and what happened are just messages on the application designated for government transactions in Kuwait.” He pointed out that “the situation of the Egyptian community is safe, especially since residents of Kuwait work in various professions and sectors there.”
Othman believes, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, that “the contact between the foreign ministers of Egypt and Kuwait and the emphasis on the important role of the Egyptian community is a message of reassurance to all workers whose number is estimated at about 600,000 Egyptian expatriates,” and he said that “there is continuous communication of the community with the Egyptian embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the conditions of Egyptians in Kuwait.”
Official data from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Manpower showed that the number of Egyptians working in Kuwait reached 667,000 male and female workers, ranking second in the number of expatriates after India.
Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs, Ambassador Youssef Al-Sharqawi, believes that “the call is an official reassurance directed at Egyptians working in the State of Kuwait,” and pointed out that “there are official assurances that appreciate the role and status of the Egyptian community in the renaissance of the State of Kuwait.”
Al-Sharqawi believes, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, “The contact cannot be viewed as a protocol measure, but it is a reflection of ongoing coordination between Cairo, Kuwait, and the Gulf states, in light of the turbulent regional circumstances.” He pointed out that “Egypt is making efforts to reduce the escalation and try to end the tension between America and Iran, and prevent it from getting out of control.” He said that “Cairo aims to increase Arab coordination regarding what is happening in the region, before the United Nations General Assembly meetings are held at the end of this month.”
On Saturday, Yemeni government forces intensified their military operations against the Houthi group on a number of fronts, carrying out air strikes, artillery strikes, and drone attacks on the group’s sites and concentrations in Ma’rib, Al-Jawf, and Taiz, in the wake of the Houthis’ expansion on the western coast and their control of Mokha and areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The escalation coincided with the movement of Houthi reinforcements from Sanaa towards Marib, at a time when government forces continued to pressure groups of the besieged group in the Al-Labnat camp in Al-Jawf Governorate, while military aircraft focused their strikes on the positions and movements of the Houthis in Al-Mokha and Dhubab, after they spread in large areas of the western coast.
Field sources reported that during the past hours, warplanes launched intensive raids on fixed and mobile Houthi targets in the city of Mokha, focusing on the port, the airport, and Jabal al-Nar, in an attempt to target the group’s military and logistical capabilities after it took control of the city and its strategic port.
The raids extended to the Dhubab District, where they targeted Houthi sites and movements, hours after the group's members deployed in various areas of the district directly overlooking Bab al-Mandab.
Government forces spokesman Majid Al-Nuzaili announced the start of the bombing of what he described as the previously announced “kill box,” calling on civilians to avoid using the Taiz-Al-Mokha and Al-Mokha-Dhubab roads, until further notice, in light of the continuation of military operations in the region.
In the vicinity of the port of Mokha, the government armed forces announced the destruction of Houthi vehicles and weapons, in addition to the killing of members of the group. The official spokesman for the armed forces, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, said that the forces eliminated large concentrations of Houthis near the “Zaid Al-Kharj” Mall, and next to the administration of the water project in the city.
Al-Nuzaili added that the forces targeted gatherings of Houthi vehicles and members on the Al-Mokha-Dhu Bab line, in the animal quarry area, about 11 kilometers from the city of Al-Mokha. They also targeted other gatherings in the former headquarters of a military commander in the city’s northern ring road.
These strikes come as government forces are trying to rearrange their deployment south of Mokha, after the battles moved to the east of Bab al-Mandab on the border with Lahj Governorate, following the Houthis’ control of Mokha and its port, and then their expansion to coastal areas and islands in the southern Red Sea.
In Ma'rib Governorate (east of Sana'a), the southern, northern, and western fronts witnessed air strikes, artillery shelling, and drone attacks that targeted Houthi sites and concentrations.
Field sources said that during the past hours, the group sent military reinforcements from Sanaa towards Marib, which included dozens of military vehicles, with personnel on board, in an indication of its continued supply of forces and vehicles to the fronts, coinciding with the expansion of the scope of the confrontations.
This comes at a time when government forces maintain their defensive and offensive presence on the Marib fronts, which during the years of the war remained one of the most prominent points of military weight facing the Houthis, especially with the group’s attempt to exploit the recent escalation to open more than one front, and disperse the military pressure on it in the coast and Al-Jawf.
In Al-Jawf Governorate, artillery and drones targeted Houthi reinforcements and positions east of the city of Al-Hazm, while government forces continued to impose a siege from several directions on the group's members inside the Al-Labnat camp for the sixth day in a row.
The continuation of the siege reflects the government forces’ attempt to consolidate the gains they achieved in recent days, after regaining large sites around the buildings, then advancing towards other areas in the governorate, at a time when the group seeks to reorganize its lines and send reinforcements to the fronts that witnessed successive field losses.
In Taiz, the Houthi movements were not limited to the western coast, as field sources monitored the group’s mobilizations in the Sami District, and the cities of Al-Dimna and Al-Rahda, in addition to areas it recently controlled in Jabal Habashi in the governorate’s countryside.
These movements coincided with raids that targeted weapons stores, gatherings, barracks, and Houthi movements along the coastal strip in the districts of Al-Mokha and Dhubab, indicating an attempt by government forces to strike the supply lines and combat capabilities of the group that has now spread over a wide area of the coast.
On the border with Lahj Governorate, the Southern Giants forces engaged in clashes with the Houthis in the vicinity of the Al-Mudaraba District. They responded to the sources of fire with light and medium weapons, and were able, according to military sources, to silence them and prevent any advance towards the areas of the District, while inflicting losses on the ranks of the group and its vehicles.
In parallel with the military escalation, the Yemeni Ministry of Interior warned citizens in the liberated governorates, especially in Taiz and Hodeidah, of a Houthi campaign that relies on sending text messages via the “Yemen Mobile” and “You” networks, including calls under the title “Amnesty and Return.”
The Ministry said that the messages come within the framework of a campaign of psychological warfare, misinformation, and luring, warning citizens against calling the numbers contained in them, providing personal data and information, or re-publishing and circulating these messages.
She indicated that the group has been using the communications networks it has controlled since its coup against the state in 2014, in an attempt to influence the morale of the population, exploit their conditions, and obtain information that can be used for security purposes.
The Ministry warned that responding to such calls could lead to dangerous consequences, noting that previous experiences resulted in the fate of people who were lured using these methods to Houthi prisons, where they were subjected to torture, abuse, and forced disappearance.
This psychological path coincides with the expansion of the scope of military operations, in a Houthi attempt to use communication and deception tools in parallel with field mobilization, while government forces are trying to contain the group’s expansion and undermine its capabilities on more than one front.
