Cairo: Yemeni government forces, supported by a Saudi-led Arab Coalition, have further advanced into Saada, the northern stronghold of Iran-aligned Al Houthi militants, an army commander said on Saturday.
Brigadier Yasser Al Harthi, the chief of the elite 102nd Brigade, told Al Arabiya television that the army is encircling the district of Baqim in the northern side of Saada from all directions. “It is a matter of a few metres and the army will enter the centre of Baqim,” he added.
“Al Houthis are experiencing a state of breakdown amid mobilisation in their ranks, prompting them to send groups of duped child fighters to the fronts.”
In recent weeks, the Yemeni government, supported by the Arab Coalition, has pursued a multi-front campaign in Yemen, including Saada, Al Houthis’ far northern bastion near the Saudi border.
The Iran-aligned extremists have used Saada as a launch pad for firing ballistic missiles across the border into the Saudi territory. Last week, Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed two such missiles.
Government loyalists have retaken several strategic positions from Al Houthis west of Baqim after fierce clashes with the militants, according to field sources.
Military forces, backed by the coalition, foiled an infiltration attempt by Al Houthis targeting government-controlled positions west of Baqim, an unnamed military commander told Al Arabiya. In a counter-attack, the Yemeni army recaptured hilltops overlooking Baqim.
“[Al Houthi] militias suffered heavy casualties and material losses as a result,” he added.
In September 2014, Al Houthis overran the Yemeni capital Sana’a in a coup against the internationally recognised government. They later swept other Yemeni territory.
In March 2015, the Arab Coalition initiated a military campaign in Yemen against Al Houthis after the militants advanced on the southern city of Aden, the temporary capital of the country after their takeover of Sana’a.
