Anticipated Military Victory in Yemen Confuses Insurgents, Drives them to Mobilize Forces

Yemen Houthi militants. (AFP)
Yemen Houthi militants. (AFP)
TT

Anticipated Military Victory in Yemen Confuses Insurgents, Drives them to Mobilize Forces

Yemen Houthi militants. (AFP)
Yemen Houthi militants. (AFP)

Houthi militias killed on Sunday a tribal leader in Dhamar city (100 kilometers south of Sanaa) along with four of his relatives in a continuation of their practices against supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Saleh and civilian, military and tribe members of his party following his death.

The group renewed on Sunday calls for its supporters to mobilize fighters in light of its anticipation and fear of the imminent military victory sought by the legitimate government and the Saudi-led coalition forces following recent field developments.

Houthi militants killed prominent tribal leader Sheikh Dhaif Allah Mothana along with his brother and two of his sons as they were passing a Houthi checkpoint in Dhamar, according to local sources and witnesses in the area.

They said that the militants objected to the tribal leader’s hanging of a Saleh poster on the window of his car. The situation then escalated and the militants broke the glass and shot Sheikh Mothana and his relatives.

Sources in Sanaa meanwhile said that head of the coup Presidency Council of Yemen Saleh al-Sammad met Sunday with officials loyal to the Houthis in Dhamar and Sanaa.

"We are heading to a new stage that requires supporting the fronts with popular momentum and vigils," Sammad said.

He also met Parliament Speaker Yahya al-Ra'i amid speculation that their talks were about the process of forcing the People's Congress party to support Houthis and rearranging it after Saleh’s death to ensure that it remains a political interface for the coup militia.

Houthis described Saleh as the “militia’s traitor leader" since he was assassinated on December 4 and his relatives, supporters and party leaders have been harassed in an attempt to blur everything related to him and criminalize all that glorifies him after the group looted his houses and the properties of his relatives.



Israeli Military Says Commandos Raided Missile Plant in Syria in September

People inspect a damaged area in the aftermath of what Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike in Masyaf, Hama province, Syria September 9, 2024. (Reuters)
People inspect a damaged area in the aftermath of what Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike in Masyaf, Hama province, Syria September 9, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Israeli Military Says Commandos Raided Missile Plant in Syria in September

People inspect a damaged area in the aftermath of what Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike in Masyaf, Hama province, Syria September 9, 2024. (Reuters)
People inspect a damaged area in the aftermath of what Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike in Masyaf, Hama province, Syria September 9, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel's military said on Thursday its special forces had raided an underground missile production site in Syria in September that it said was primed to produce hundreds of precision missiles for use against Israel by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

The complex near Masyaf, close to the Mediterranean coast, was "the flagship of Iranian manufacturing efforts in our region", Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told a briefing with reporters.

"This facility was designed to manufacture hundreds of strategic missiles per year from start to finish, for Hezbollah to use in their aerial attacks on Israel."

He said the plant, dug into a mountainside, had been under observation by Israel since construction began in 2017 and was on the point of being able to manufacture precision-guided missiles, some with a range of up to 300 km (190 miles).

"This ability was becoming active, so we're talking about an immediate threat," he said.

Details of the Sept. 8 raid have been reported in Israeli media but Shoshani said this was the first confirmation by the military, which rarely comments on special forces operations.

At the time, Syrian state media said at least 16 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the west of the country.

Shoshani said the nighttime raid was "one of the more complex operations the IDF has done in recent years". Accompanied by airstrikes, it involved dozens of aircraft and around 100 helicopter-borne troops, he said.

"At the end of the raid, the troops dismantled the facility, including the machines and the manufacturing equipment, themselves," he said.

The military released footage showing Israeli troops boarding and dismounting from helicopters and moving through what appears to be a concrete-lined tunnel and industrial site, where they examine documents.

Other footage showed senior commanders at a control center, apparently as the operation proceeds.

Israeli officials have accused the former Syrian government of president Bahar al-Assad of helping the Lebanese-based Hezbollah movement receive arms from Iran and say they are determined to stop the flow of weapons into Lebanon.

As Assad's government crumbled towards the end of last year, Israel launched a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing sites to prevent them falling into the hands of enemies.