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Houthis Suffer Major Losses in Battles Raging in Yemen’s Nihm District

Remains of the missile fired by the Houthis at a mosque in Marib. - Reuters
Remains of the missile fired by the Houthis at a mosque in Marib. - Reuters
    Sanaa, Taiz – Asharq Al-Awsat
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Houthis Suffer Major Losses in Battles Raging in Yemen’s Nihm District

Remains of the missile fired by the Houthis at a mosque in Marib. - Reuters
Remains of the missile fired by the Houthis at a mosque in Marib. - Reuters

The Nihm District battlefront, east of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, has been witnessing nonstop fierce fighting pitting the internationally-recognized government forces, backed by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, against Iran-aligned Houthi militias.

Houthis, according to local military sources, have incurred hundreds of deaths and injuries.

In an attempt to cover up losses suffered in Nihm, Houthis continued to strike civilian targets in Marib. Their latest rocket attack on Wednesday resulted in the death of a Yemeni woman and the injury of six other civilians.

Military sources also reported on government forces successfully liberating large swathes of mountainous terrain in Nihm District after achieving victory in battles that spanned over 60 km northeast the district.

“The national army has liberated a mountainous ring in the right front of Nihm,” the government forces' media center said last Monday.

The army forces continue advancing as Houthi fighters retreat and flee the fighting field, the center added, displaying footage for some of the battles fought by government troops in Nihm.

Yemeni and Saudi media also reported about Abdul Khaleq Al Houthi, a senior Houthi official, being injured during an Arab Coalition airstrike in Nihm on Tuesday evening.

Medical sources in Houthi-held Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthis raised the alarm in all public hospitals so that they remain prepared for receiving those injured and the bodies of those killed in battles.

This coincided with Houthi leaders looking in Sanaa neighborhoods for fresh recruits to replenish their depleted ranks at battlefronts.

Since the beginning of this week, battles have not been limited to Nihm, as other frontlines have also seen visibly agitated fighting.

Government military sources said on Monday that a number of Houthi fighters have been killed as they tried to infiltrate government sites in the central governorate of Baydha.

“Houthi fighters, including commander Habeeb Saleh Moharam al-Qahtani, were killed and others injured when they tried to infiltrate into sites near al-Wahbia in al-Sawadia district,” Saba quoted a military source as saying.

“Other Houthi fighters were killed or wounded in clashes with army forces in the two districts of Nati'e and Malajim,” it added.

Last Saturday, scores of Houthi fighters were killed and injured in attempted infiltration in Fadhha of Malajim district, east of Baydha.

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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)

Recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his willingness to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to normalize relations between the two countries have sparked mixed reactions.
While the Syrian opposition sees the possibility of such a meeting despite the challenges, Damascus views the statements as a political maneuver by the Turks. Meanwhile, the United States has tied the normalization process to achieving a political solution in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued in 2015.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that a US administration official, who was not named, confirmed that Washington is against normalizing relations with the Syrian regime under Assad. He emphasized that Washington cannot accept normalizing ties with Damascus without progress toward a political solution that ends the conflicts in Syria.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that a meeting between Assad and Erdogan is possible despite the obstacles. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Bahra said the meeting is feasible, even though Ankara is fully aware that the Assad regime cannot currently meet its demands and understands the regime’s limitations.
Bahra pointed out that the UN-led political process remains frozen and that he had briefed US and Western officials on the latest developments in the Syrian file. On Saturday, Bahra participated in a consultative meeting in Ankara with the Syrian Negotiation Commission, along with a high-level delegation from the US State Department, during which they exchanged views on the political solution and the need to establish binding mechanisms for implementing international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.
On the other side, Assad’s special advisor, Bouthaina Shaaban, dismissed Erdogan’s announcement that Ankara is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding his meeting with Assad for normalization as another political maneuver with ulterior motives.
Shaaban, speaking during a lecture at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was reported by Turkish media on Thursday, stated that any rapprochement between the two countries is contingent on its withdrawal of forces from Syrian territory.