Al Mukalla: Dozens of Al Houthis fighters were been killed in the last couple of days when the Saudi-led coalition warplanes hit their sites in mountainous areas in Lahj province, local army commanders and resistance fighters said on Tuesday.
In an attempt to recapture strategic locations surrounding Al Anad airbase, Al Houthis have injected heavy reinforcements to a range of mountains called Ka’abeen and Jales in Lahj’s Al Qabeta district. Local fighters said that the rebels exploited the absence of the coalition warplanes during the widely violated ceasefire to push more forces into the area.
“The coalition’s warplanes stepped in when resistance fighters could not push back Al Houthis military reinforcements. The jets managed to kill many Al Houthis and held off their advance,” said Mohammad Al Zoari, a spokesperson for Southern Resistance in Lahj. Al Zoari told Gulf News that he thinks the rebels would not be able to recapture the heavily fortified Al Anad military base but would try to seize Al Yas mountain that directly overlooks the base. “If they stationed their canons and rockets on mountain, they would be able to shell the base and even Aden.”
Al Anad military base, Yemen’s biggest, was built during the British occupation of the South Yemen. In August last year, the coalition backed forces liberated the base from Al Houthis and turned it into a training area for thousands of resistance fighters who were later assigned to secure the liberated provinces.
Also in Lahj, security officials said an army soldier was killed on Monday during a raid on suspected Al Qaida hideouts in the district of Radfan. A hiding Al Qaida operative was also killed following a brief clashes with the government soldiers.
In the north, at least three pro-government tribesmen were killed in fierce clashes with Al Houthis in Jawf province, local tribesmen said on Tuesday. Al Houthis mounted assaults on government-allied forces in Al Masloub and Al Metoun districts in a bid to recapture new regions in the large province.
Suspected US drones have launched several air strikes on Al Qaida militants in the provinces of Baydha, Marib and Shabwa, killing at least four, locals said on Tuesday.
