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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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Arab World

Biden, Macron to Declare 60-Day Ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel on Tuesday

Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
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Biden, Macron to Declare 60-Day Ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel on Tuesday

Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron will declare on Tuesday morning a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Asharq Al-Awsat learned from widely informed sources on Monday.

Washington has spoken of “cautious optimism” that the US proposal for a ceasefire could be a success. The proposal calls for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the area between the Blue Line and Litani River in a manner that can be verified. In return Israeli forces will withdraw from the regions they occupied since they carried out their limited invasion of Lebanon.

The discussions the US government had on the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire were positive and are headed in the right direction towards a deal, the White House said on Monday.

"We're close," said White House national security spokesperson John Kirby. "The discussions ... were constructive, and we believe that the trajectory of this is going in a very positive direction. But, yeah, nothing is done until everything is done." 

The relative positivity prevailed in spite of the ongoing wide-scale military operations between Israel and Hezbollah in the South and Israel’s air raids deep in Lebanese territory. Hezbollah has also fired rockets deep in Israel, reaching Tel Aviv.

Analysts have said the intense attacks suggest that both Israel and Hezbollah are trying to maximize their leverage as diplomats conduct what they hope is a final round of ceasefire talks, reported the New York Times on Monday.

The New York Times reported on Friday that the terms included a 60-day truce during which Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters pull back from border areas and the Lebanese Army and a United Nations peacekeeping force increase their presence in a buffer zone.

But officials have also warned that the two sides may not be able to finalize a deal, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from right-wing allies not to end the military campaign.

Israel’s hard-line national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a social media post on Monday that the proposed deal would be a “historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.”

Observers meanwhile told Asharq Al-Awsat that all pending issues related to the US proposal have been resolved from the Lebanese side, while Israel has some lingering reservations.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu’s security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to discuss the ceasefire proposal.

Two officials confirmed the Cabinet meeting is set for Tuesday, but they said it is still not clear whether the decision-making body will vote to approve the deal.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations.