Yemen’s Hadi Says Military Operations to Continue Until Houthis Defeated

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Yemen’s Hadi Says Military Operations to Continue Until Houthis Defeated

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Asharq Al-Awsat

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stressed on Tuesday that military operations in the war-torn country will continue until Sanaa, which is run by Houthi militias, is liberated and the Iranian project is defeated.

Houthi mines and assaults have been claiming the lives of Yemenis for nearly six years. The Iran-backed group has also been stepping up its attacks in al-Jawf and Marib governorates.

Official Yemeni sources reported that Hadi’s comments came during a briefing he attended by Vice President General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar in Riyadh.

Ahmar briefed Hadi on the status of ongoing military operations in a number of governorates that included Marib, al-Jawf, Taiz, Sanaa, Hodeidah, Al Bayda', Saadah and Dhale.

Hadi, for his part, underlined the need to continue to secure victories against Iran-backed Houthis, the state-owned Saba news agency reported.

The Yemeni leader also emphasized the importance of providing qualitative training to troops. He expressed keenness on ensuring that strong support is given to the national army which is spearheading the campaign to free Yemen from Houthi hold.

More so, Hadi appreciated efforts spent by the Arab Coalition on restoring power to legitimate state institutions in Yemen and thwarting the violent Iranian agenda being advanced by Houthis.

Hadi, according to Saba, urged the uniting of ranks, efforts and capacities fighting against Iranian greed in Yemen.

The president’s statements coincided with the scale up of fighting on multiple battlefronts in the country. Houthis, disregarding the substantial human losses they incurred among their ranks, ratcheted attacks in an attempt to advance towards Marib governorate.

Military field reports documented Houthis losing a number of fighters on Tuesday east of al-Hazim city in al-Jawf governorate.

According to field reports, army personnel thwarted an attack launched by Houthi militias towards the Dahida mountains, a strategic outpost that fell under the control of pro-government forces in recent weeks.



Israel Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen, Killing at Least Four People

Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israel Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen, Killing at Least Four People

Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel said it bombed Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday in response to missile fire by the Iran-aligned militants at Israel over the past two days, marking another front in fighting in the Middle East.

The Israeli strikes killed at least four people and wounded 29, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said in a statement, and residents said the bombing had caused power outages in most parts of the port city of Hodeidah.

Israel's military said in a statement that dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, had attacked power plants and a sea port in Hodeidah and the port of Ras Issa.

It was the second such Israeli attack on Yemen in just over two months. In July, Israeli warplanes struck Houthi military targets near Hodeidah after a Yemeni drone hit Tel Aviv and killed one man.

"Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation," the military statement said.

Yemen's Houthi militants, backed by Iran, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians, since the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

In their latest attack, the Houthis said they had launched a ballistic missile on Saturday towards the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, which Israel said it had intercepted. Israel intercepted another Houthi missile on Friday.

In a post on X, Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for the Houthis, said Sunday's Israeli strikes would not cause the group to "abandon Gaza and Lebanon".

Iran condemned the Israeli strikes, saying they had targeted civilian infrastructure, and President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel should not be allowed to attack countries in the Iran-aligned "Axis of Resistance" one after the other.

The Houthi movement earlier mourned Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, its ally in an Iran-backed alliance opposing Israel, following his death in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.