Yemeni legitimate forces have continued to advance on the west coast of Yemen towards the center of Hodeidah as the national army forces gained control over the line linking Taiz with the port city.
Taiz axis media center announced the army forces advanced on al-Anin front in Habashi mountain after heavy fighting with Houthi militias. The statement confirmed the army forces in the 17th Infantry Brigade, backed by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy, managed to control the fortress and village of Karash, Tabbah Jabari, al-Sadd, and the village of Qaba in Ramada.
According to the statement, army troops took control of several areas west of Taiz, killing a number of Houthis, including a sniper, without specifying the toll.
Meanwhile, battles continued on the southern front of Hodeidah, west of Yemen, between the army forces backed by the Arab coalition and Houthi militants.
Hodeidah deputy governor Walid al-Qadhmi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the battle has entered the second phase after the completion of the first stage which ended with a 98 percent success rate.
Qadhmi stressed that the joint forces have been able to neutralize several cities and villages, indicating that al-Garahi directorate and al-Husseiniya city were almost cleared of militias.
The deputy governor explained that the second stage aims to cut off the route of Baajal Directorate from Sanaa, which links Houthis with fighters from all regions.
Qadhmi stressed that Hodeidah "will be fully liberated, especially that many people in the province are ready to fight as troops approach the outskirts of the city."
The National Army and Popular Resistance regained control of al-Husseiniya area after violent clashes in which several insurgents were killed and injured, a military source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The source also indicated that the forces wrested control of al-Jah lower neighborhood in the Bayt al-Faqih directorate, al-Taif area and its historical castle in Drehami. He said that the Coalition air force targeted a number of insurgent sites south of Hodeidah, which resulted in the death and injury of a number of insurgents, including Houthi commander Hefd Allah al-Shami who was targeted in a farm in al-Jah area.
According to the website of the National Army "September.Net", Hefd Allah is the son of Houthi leader Abdul Qadir al-Shami, number 40 on the coalition's wanted list.
At least 13 Houthi militants were detained and two of their combat vehicles were destroyed as they launched failed infiltration attempts into army-controlled positions in Hays district south of Hodeidah, indicated the source.
The National Army foiled a surprise Houthi attack on the eastern gate of Sanaa in al-Jubair mountain, Tabbah al-Hamra and a number of sites on Nahm front. The forces killed and injured several Houthis and detained others.
In al-Jawf, the National Army went ahead in its battles and liberated a number of strategic sites controlled by the Houthis west of the province, killing and injuring dozens.
In related news, coalition Air Defenses monitored the launch of a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militias from inside Yemeni territories towards Saudi Arabia.
Spokesman for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Col. Turki al-Maliki explained that the missile was heading towards the city of Jazan and was deliberately launched to target civilian and populated areas.
The Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces were able to intercept and destroy the missile which resulted in shattered fragments over residential districts without causing any injuries.
Maliki added "this hostile act by the Iran-backed Houthi militias proves the continuing involvement of the Iranian regime in supporting the Houthi militias equipped with qualitative capabilities in a flagrant and explicit violation of the two UN Resolutions No. 2216 and 2231 aiming to threaten the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the regional and international security."
Launching ballistic missiles towards densely populated cities and villages is in violation of international humanitarian law.
