Near-Sanaa Tribes Arrange Forces to Enter Capital

Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters
Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters
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Near-Sanaa Tribes Arrange Forces to Enter Capital

Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters
Houthi rebels patrol an area in Saada in northern Yemen. Reuters

Tribal sources in areas surrounding Sanaa revealed that accelerated movements are taking place on the ground, in coordination with many tribes in Tihama and some sheikhs in Sanaa who are loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, to arrange a mechanism to progress militarily and storm Sanaa with the support of the national army.

“These movements come in light with the repression and killings carried out by the Houthi militias in Sanaa after the city was divided into security squares to monitor any movement of civilians and prevent any revolution after the assassination of President Saleh,” several sheikhs told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They added that work was underway to arrange the ranks before the occurrence of any military action that needs the support of coalition forces.

A number of sheikhs in Sanaa joined the Houthi militias under the force of arms to ensure their safety and prevent the execution of their families after militias launched a large-scale campaign of arrests, killing large numbers of leaders and destroying their homes for refusing to cooperate and obey, tribal sheikhs explained to Asharq Al-Awsat.

This move was preceded by the calls of leaders in the legitimate government, who rely on the strong reaction of these tribes in expelling of the Houthi militias with the support of the army and the Arab coalition forces, especially that these tribes have a historical experience in clearing invaders from the city.

According to tribal sheikhs, they need military support as they need to be provided with various types of weapons, enabling them to quickly enter the center of the capital.

Sheikh Mohammad Abdulaziz al-Shalif, a sheikh of the Nahm tribe, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bloody situation in the capital, Sana'a, is caused by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias and has created panic among people inside the city.

The women, who have been subjected to investigation and arrest, especially after the protests they have carried out on Wednesday, were subjected to repression, beatings, and humiliation.

Many homes were also bombed. "The situation is now critical in Sana'a and the capital has never witnessed such situation,” Shalif stressed.



Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli troops battled Palestinian fighters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and destroyed tunnels and other infrastructure, as they sought to suppress small militant units that have continued to hit troops with mortar fire, the military said on Friday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had killed around 100 Palestinian fighters since Israeli troops began their latest operation in Khan Younis on Monday, which continued as pressure mounted for a deal to halt the fighting.

It said seven small units that had been firing mortars at the troops were hit in an air strike, while further south, in Rafah, four fighters were also killed in air strikes.

The Islamic Jihad armed wing said it fired rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and other Israeli towns near Gaza. No casualties were reported, the Israeli ambulance service said.

The continued fighting, more than nine months since the start of Israel's invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, underlined the difficulty the IDF has had in eliminating fighters who have reverted to a form of guerrilla warfare in the ruins of the coastal strip.

A Telegram channel operated by the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two main militant groups in Gaza, said fighters had been waging fierce battles with Israeli troops east of Khan Younis with machine guns, mortars and anti-tank weapons.

Medics said at least six Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Khan Younis.

US PRESSURE

US President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, both urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a proposed ceasefire deal as soon as possible.

However there has been no clear sign of movement in talks to end the fighting and bring home some 115 Israeli and foreign hostages still being held in Gaza. Public statements from Israel and Hamas appear to indicate that serious differences remain between the two sides.

Local residents contacted by messenger app, said Israeli tanks had pushed into three towns to the east of Khan Younis, Bani Suhaila, Al-Zanna and Al-Karara and blew up several houses in some residential districts.

The military said air force jets hit around 45 targets, including tunnels and two launch pads from which rockets were fired into Beersheba in southern Israel.

Even while the fighting continued around Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, in the northern part of the enclave, Israeli tanks pushed into the Tel Al-Hawa suburb west of Gaza city, residents said.

A Hamas Telegram channel said fighters targeted an Israeli tank in Tal Al-Hawa and shot an Israeli soldier.

Medics said two Palestinians were also killed in an air strike in western Gaza city.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.

Israeli officials estimate that some 14,000 fighters from armed groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have been killed or taken prisoner, out of a force they estimated to number more than 25,000 at the start of the war.