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Yemen: Houthis Lose Usaylan, Flee to Bayhan

FILE PHOTO: Houthi militants march during a funeral procession for Houthi fighters killed in fighting against government forces in Marib province, in Sanaa, Yemen February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE PHOTO: Houthi militants march during a funeral procession for Houthi fighters killed in fighting against government forces in Marib province, in Sanaa, Yemen February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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Yemen: Houthis Lose Usaylan, Flee to Bayhan

FILE PHOTO: Houthi militants march during a funeral procession for Houthi fighters killed in fighting against government forces in Marib province, in Sanaa, Yemen February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE PHOTO: Houthi militants march during a funeral procession for Houthi fighters killed in fighting against government forces in Marib province, in Sanaa, Yemen February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

As part of a military operation dubbed the “Cyclone of the South”, the forces of the Giants Brigades managed on Saturday to liberate Usaylan, one of the largest districts of the Yemeni governorate of Shabwa, from the grip of the Houthi militias. The same forces are currently preparing to liberate the neighboring districts of Ain and Bayhan, their military media reported.

Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Moeen Abdulmalik praised “the field victories achieved by the Giants forces and the army in liberating the Usaylan district from the control of the Houthi coup militia,” the official Yemeni news agency (Saba) reported.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, military expert and Yemeni researcher Abdul-Wahhab Buhaibah described the progress in Usaylan as “a very important step towards the liberation of the rest of Shabwa regions.”

He added that this development “will pave the way for the liberation of the districts of Al-Juba and Jabal Murad in Marib.”

The Governor of Shabwa directed the head of the security committee in the governorate, Awad Al-Awlaki, to impose a state of emergency and a curfew in the districts of Bayhan, Usaylan and Ain.

Saba agency quoted the governor as saying: “The territories of the three districts are the scene of war operations and battles waged by the heroes of the national army in the face of the Houthi militias…”

Meanwhile, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen announced the continuation of air support operations for the Yemeni army and the popular resistance forces on the Marib fronts, as battles against militias are ongoing on the southern and western fronts of the governorate.

According to a tweet published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Coalition stated that it carried out “23 targeting operations against the Houthi militia in Marib within 24 hours, destroying 17 military vehicles and eliminating more than 160 terrorist elements.”

On another field level, the military media reported that the Yemeni army forces thwarted on Saturday an infiltration attempt by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia on army positions in the Safra district in the Saada governorate.

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Syrian President Vows to Use Force to Eliminate ‘Terrorism’

Anti-government fighters tear up a poster for Syrian President Bashar al Assad as they take over the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat on December 1, 2024. (AFP)
Anti-government fighters tear up a poster for Syrian President Bashar al Assad as they take over the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat on December 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrian President Vows to Use Force to Eliminate ‘Terrorism’

Anti-government fighters tear up a poster for Syrian President Bashar al Assad as they take over the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat on December 1, 2024. (AFP)
Anti-government fighters tear up a poster for Syrian President Bashar al Assad as they take over the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat on December 1, 2024. (AFP)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed on Sunday to "use force to eliminate terrorism".

"We will continue to defend the stability and territorial integrity of our country," he told the Acting President of the Republic of Abkhazia, reported Syria’s state news agency SANA.

"Along with our allies, we will be able to strike the terrorists and their backers," he added.

"The terrorists don’t represent the people or state institutions. They only represent the agencies that operate and back them," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam al-Sabbagh said the state will work on restoring security and stability and consolidating unity and sovereignty.

He held telephone talks with his United Arab Emirates, Jordanian and Venezuelan counterparts.

"We will continue our war on terrorism," he vowed.

"The attack by terrorist groups on Aleppo and Idlib has terrorized the people and obstructed all aspects of life and led to the massive displacement of people," he noted.

At least 25 people were killed in northwestern Syria in air strikes carried out by the Syrian government and Russia, the Syrian opposition-run rescue service known as the White Helmets said early on Monday.

Russian and Syrian jets struck the opposition-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday, military sources said, as Assad vowed to crush opposition fighters who had swept into Aleppo.

The army also said it had recaptured several towns that the opposition had overrun in recent days.

Residents said one attack hit a crowded residential area in the center of Idlib, the largest city in an opposition enclave near the Turkish border where around four million people live in makeshift tents and dwellings.

At least seven people were killed and dozens injured, according to rescuers at the scene. The Syrian army and its ally Russia say they target the hideouts of opposition groups and deny attacking civilians.

The opposition fighters are a coalition of Türkiye-backed mainstream secular armed groups along with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The opposition seized control of all of Idlib province in recent days, the boldest assault for years in a civil war where front lines had largely been frozen since 2020.

They also swept into the city of Aleppo, east of Idlib, on Friday night, forcing the army to redeploy.

The Syrian army said dozens of its soldiers had been killed in the fighting in Aleppo.

Russian war bloggers reported on Sunday that Moscow had dismissed Sergei Kisel, the general in charge of its forces in Syria. Reuters has requested comment from the Russian defense ministry.

Inside Aleppo city, streets were mostly empty and many shops were closed on Sunday as scared residents stayed at home. There was still a heavy flow of civilians leaving the city, witnesses and residents said, according to Reuters.

The opposition gains came after Israel stepped up its strikes on Iranian bases in Syria and Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. Militias allied to Iran, led by Hezbollah, have had a strong presence in the Aleppo area.

The Syrian war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced many millions, has ground on since 2011 with no formal end. Most heavy fighting halted years ago after Iran-backed militias and Russian air power helped Assad win control of all major cities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, visiting Damascus on Sunday, said the situation in Syria was "difficult" but the Assad government would prevail.