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
TT

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.



Israeli Strikes Kill 14 People in Gaza, Mediators Strive for a Truce Deal

 Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Israeli Strikes Kill 14 People in Gaza, Mediators Strive for a Truce Deal

 Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 Palestinians in three separate attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, taking the weekend death toll to 102, Palestinian medics said, as US and Arab mediators stepped up efforts to conclude a ceasefire deal.

Health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed five people in a house in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while another airstrike killed four others in Jabalia in the northern edge of the enclave, where Israeli forces have been operating for three months.

Later on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike hit a police station in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing five people, medics said. It wasn't immediately clear if all the dead were policemen.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Sunday's strikes.

Earlier on Sunday, the health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed at least 88 Palestinians and wounded more than 200 others in the past 24 hours.

In Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, relatives and neighbors rushed to the Zuhd family's house, which was struck by an Israeli airstrike late on Saturday, killing seven people, medics said. The search continued on Sunday morning for four others believed to be trapped under the rubble.

A hand belonging to one of the dead could be seen amongst the ruins, with the rest of his body buried under collapsed masonry. Three men removed dirt with their bare hands to retrieve bodies and search for possible survivors.

"Three young men, the son’s wife, and three children are still here. We retrieved this cousin of mine. Another cousin has been martyred and is now in the hospital. Approximately 11 people have been martyred here," Ammar Zuhd, a relative, told Reuters.

ISRAEL SAYS DOZENS OF HAMAS MILITANTS KILLED

The Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday that its forces had attacked more than 100 targets across Gaza over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas fighters. It said it had also destroyed rocket launching sites that had been used to wage rocket attacks on Israel in recent days.

A renewed push is underway to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, and return Israeli hostages who were taken to Gaza, before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Israeli negotiators were dispatched on Friday to resume talks in Doha brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, while US President Joe Biden's administration, which is helping to mediate, urged Hamas to agree to a deal.

Hamas said it was committed to reaching an agreement as soon as possible, but it was unclear how close the two sides were.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas fighters on communities in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign, with the stated goal of eradicating Hamas, has leveled swathes of the enclave, driving most people from their homes, and has killed 45,805 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.