Cairo: The Yemeni army said Monday its troops had made territorial gains in Sa’ada after a surprise attack.
In recent weeks, pro-government forces, supported by the Arab Coalition, unleashed a multi-front campaign in Yemen against Iran-backed Al Houthis.
The main target of the campaign is the far northern province of Sa’ada, the militants’ stronghold near the Saudi border.
Chief of the Ninth Brigade Operations, Col Hilal Al Khaledy, said that the army forces had recaptured strategic positions and mountains from Al Houthis in the district of Al Hashwah on the eastern edges of Sa’ada.
“The surprise attack caught Al Houthis off their guard and inflicted heavy losses to their military hardware and soldier infantry,” he added according to news portal Aden Al Ghad.
The Arab Coalition, meanwhile, shot down a drone managed by Al Houthis over the city of Midi in the north west of Yemen, Dubai-based television Al Arabiya reported.
Al Houthis have recently suffered military setbacks, prompting them to intensify violations against civilians.
The militants killed five civilians in Katyusha attack that targeted a wedding ceremony in Yemen’s north-eastern province of Al Jawf, Saba reported.
The attack took place Sunday in Al Hazm, the capital city of Al Jawf.
The deaths included women and children, the director of Al Jawf hospital told Saba.
Others were injured, some seriously, he said.
The Ministry of Human Rights condemned the attack and accused Al Houthis of targeting populous areas.
“Firing rockets at civilians and populated areas is a crime against humanity,” the ministry said in a statement.
It urged the UN and other international organisations to pressure Al Houthis to refrain from such acts.
Meanwhile, Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has vowed to fight alleged corruption in the army.
The Yemeni leader promised a “new and decisive stage” in the military establishment, vowing to cleanse it from corruption.
Hadi made the announcement at a meeting on Sunday with army commanders in the southern city of Aden, the official news agency Saba reported.
He said that the planned moves are part of efforts to cut spending and utilise limited sources for meeting basic needs in the impoverished country.
Yemen has experienced devastating strife since late 2014 when Al Houthis, an ally of Iran, staged a coup against Hadi’s internationally-recognised administration and seized the capital Sana’a.
A Saudi-led Arab coalition entered the war in 2015 to support the beleaguered Yemeni government.
“We realise the many challenges of the current stage of war as well as its catastrophic effects, but this should not absolve us from shouldering national and moral responsibilities,” Hadi told army commanders.
He promised to apply the reward-and-punishment rule in the military establishment and to give adequate compensation to families of soldiers killed in the fight against Al Houthis.
Hadi also praised the “honourable stances” of partners to the Arab Coalition mainly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“They have joined us in the drive of sacrifice and have built a concrete embodiment of fraternity, unity of objectives and common destiny,” he added, referring to the coalition partners.
Al Houthi fire wounds three Saudi civilians
Saudi Arabia says three civilians, including a 10-year old child, were wounded when a projectile fired by Al Houthi militnats struck the kingdom’s southwest border region of Jizan.
Saudi civil defense spokesman, Lt. Col. Yahia Al Kahtani said on Monday that the attack took place late on Sunday night and targeted the city of Al Aridha.
Al Kahtani did not identify the type of projectile used.
He says the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
