Yemeni Joint Forces Block Houthi Attack South of Hodeidah

Arab World

December 1st, 9:23am

Taiz- Asharq Al-Awsat

A coast guard walks past a ship docked at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen January 5, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad/File Photo

Joint Yemeni army forces have succeeded in foiling a widespread attack launched by Houthi militias on Saturday, a field military source confirmed. The attack targeted multiple sites in Al-Tahita district, south of Hodeidah. “Militia members launched an attack on areas southwest of Al-Tahita district, and used various types of heavy and medium weapons and artillery shells,” the source said, confirming that the army’s response left Houthis defeated. This escalation on part of the Houthis comes amid a wider scope of daily violations the Iran-backed militia commits against liberated areas south of Hodeidah, where an UN-sponsored ceasefire is in place. It is also perceived as an effort by Houthis to destroy the incumbent peace process. On the other hand, the Giants Brigade media center reported on the “arrival of Lieutenant General Abhijit Guha, chief UN monitor, to the country’s west coast.” Guha had arrived from the capital, Aden, accompanied by a government team from the redeployment committee to hold bilateral talks. Meetings held by the chief monitor were described as positive. In Taiz, a southwestern city blockaded by Houthi militias for five years now, deaths and injuries were incurred by Houthi millitias as a result of national army shelling. More so, the city of Taiz witnessed a march attended by hundreds of locals who came out to celebrate the 52nd Yemeni Independence Day, which falls on November 30. Participants in the mass march roamed the streets of Taiz city and expressed their full support for the internationally-recognized legitimate government and all its institutions. They reiterated a determination to mobilize all efforts to finish the liberation of Yemeni territory. Calling for the restoration of power to the state, marchers urged freeing Taiz from Houthi coup militias.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2015966/yemeni-joint-forces-block-houthi-attack-south-hodeidah