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
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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.



Netanyahu Says Israel Won't Stop Striking Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Netanyahu Says Israel Won't Stop Striking Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel is striking Lebanon’s Hezbollah “with full force” and won’t stop until its goals are achieved.

Netanyahu spoke as he landed in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting and as US, European and some Arab officials were pressing for a 21-day halt in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to give time for negotiations.

Netanyahu said Israel’s “policy is clear. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes.”

He added that he approved the “targeted killing operation” of the head of Hezbollah’s drone unit in south Beirut Thursday.

Israel has dramatically escalated strikes in Lebanon this week, saying it is targeting Hezbollah. Israeli leaders have said they are determined to stop more than 11 months of cross-border fire by the group into Israel, which has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from communities in the north.