Yemeni Forces Foil Houthi Scheme to Plant Naval Mines off Midi Coast

People walk past a ship docked at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. Reuters
People walk past a ship docked at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. Reuters
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Yemeni Forces Foil Houthi Scheme to Plant Naval Mines off Midi Coast

People walk past a ship docked at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. Reuters
People walk past a ship docked at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. Reuters

Yemeni naval forces thwarted Houthi militias' attempt to plant naval mines around the coast of Midi District in Hajjah Governorate.

Yemeni military sources said that Yemeni naval forces targeted boats that were used by the militias attempting to plant the naval mines, some 30 nautical miles from the coast of Midi, which resulted in the deaths of several specialists in planting mines.

The sources added that the military operation resulted in a number of casualties in the Houthi ranks, following the clashes and the failure of their plan, and the government forces captured the boat used by the militias to carry out the offensive.

“Houthi rebels usually resort to the use of some fishing boats to disguise after adding military and mechanical modifications to them,” sources added.

The Yemeni army forces, with the support of the Saudi-led coalition, removed dozens of sea mines planted by the Houthis in the Red Sea, off the coasts of Midi, to target various ships and fishing boats and obstruct the navigation route.

On the other hand, the fighting intensified on the battle fronts al-Bayda and al-Jawf coinciding with air strikes carried out by aircraft of the coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen.

The fighting and the air strikes against the Houthi coup caused the militia heavy losses in lives and equipment on various fronts.

The government forces also liberated strategic mountain positions in Nahm front, northeast of Sana’a, following clashes that killed at least 25 members of the pro-Iranian group.

There were also other battles between the Yemeni army forces and the Houthi militias, north of the border province of Jawf in the Aqaba region.

"The battles resulted in deaths and injuries of Houthi militants, in addition to the destruction of a combat vehicle and weapons and ammunition," the army's website said.

Governor of al-Jawf Amin al-Okimi inspected "the front lines of the army and the resistance in the series of mountains that overlook Wadi Khab," official sources said.
"The army is determined to clear Wadi Khab, the last location where the militias are based," Okimi said in a statement.

He also stressed that all individuals need to be ready to fight and complete the liberation of all areas in the province.



Emirates Airline to Resume Flights to Beirut

Emirates Airline Boeing 777-300ER planes are seen at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/File Photo
Emirates Airline Boeing 777-300ER planes are seen at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/File Photo
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Emirates Airline to Resume Flights to Beirut

Emirates Airline Boeing 777-300ER planes are seen at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/File Photo
Emirates Airline Boeing 777-300ER planes are seen at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/File Photo

Emirates airline will resume flights to Beirut on February 1 after a four-month suspension triggered by conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a statement said on Friday.

The Middle East's biggest airline will first offer a daily return flight and scale up to two services per day from April 1, AFP quoted the statement as saying.

Emirates will also resume a daily flight to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, from February 1, it added.

The Dubai-based, state-owned carrier was one of several regional airlines to suspend Beirut services in late September as tensions soared between Israel and Hezbollah.

A truce came into effect on November 27, ending over a year of hostilities.