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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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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.