Imminent Fall of Remaining Key Houthi Pockets West of Taiz

Yemeni government forces. AP file photo
Yemeni government forces. AP file photo
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Imminent Fall of Remaining Key Houthi Pockets West of Taiz

Yemeni government forces. AP file photo
Yemeni government forces. AP file photo

Yemeni Joint Forces backed by the Arab Coalition succeeded on Sunday to secure al-Hayma seaport of At-Tuhayata on the Red Sea and to liberate al-Qataba region south of the Hodeida governorate.

Meanwhile, Houthis were dealt a severe blow west of Taiz, where Yemeni forces tightened their grip on the remaining rebel pockets in the town of al-Burh.

The military development came two days after the Tehami resistance, the Giant Brigades and the National Resistance led by Tariq Mohammad Abdullah Saleh mounted a largescale military operation to liberate Hodeida from the grips of the Iranian-backed Houthi militias.

The forces terminated the presence of rebels in areas west and southwest of Taiz, including al-Waziya directorate, Mozza and Al-Omari military camp.

Yemeni forces also regained control of Kahboub mountainous area, as the Iran-backed Houthis fled to neighboring villages.

Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that battles to regain territory north of Hodeida from the directorates of al-Khawkha and Habas intensified on Sunday after Yemeni Joint Forces deployed in the districts of al-Jarahi and Tahita, controlling the local al-Hayma seaport.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Tariq Saleh’s military media said: “The Giant Brigades have liberated al-Hayma seaport.”

This victory coincided with the complete clearing of the nearby al-Qataba area from Houthi militias.

Yemen’s National Army also advanced Sunday in al-Burh area, and surrounded the city from three directions, as Coalition forces fiercely shelled remaining Houthi positions in the city.

Military observers told Asharq Al-Awsat they expect that Houthi forces would collapse in al-Burh town and other pockets located 40 kilometers away from the east of Taiz city.

“By liberating the town of al-Burh, Yemeni forces would have taken from Houthis their most important pocket west of Taiz,” the observers said.



Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
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Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza".

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.