We’re ready to advance towards Sanaa, declares head of Yemeni army

Yemen’s army chief of staff, Maj Gen Tahir Al Aqaili, said the army was ready to advance towards the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, after recent victories in a renewed military offensive.

The officer announced the pledge after receiving a call from the internationally recognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, urging him to rid Yemen of the Iranian-backed rebels.

“The chief of staff said that army troops as well as the public resistance are ready to advance on Sanaa to liberate it from the sectarian militia,” said Brig Abdo Megeli.

Meanwhile, 20 Houthi militants were killed in a Saudi-led air strike on the western battlefront as part of a push to recapture the port city of Hodeidah. Lt Mohammed Mohsen, a Yemeni commander, said the attack targeted reinforcements on their way to support the Houthis, who are struggling to fend off an offensive launched by the Arab coalition.

The city on the Red Sea coast is the only major port under rebel control and widely regarded as second only to the capital, Sanaa – also still in Houthi hands – in terms of strategic importance.

The bombing struck a Houthi convoy of fighters, equipment and motorcycles – the vehicle of choice for rebel snipers.

In retaliation, the Iranianbacked group attacked villages in the Haja province 120 kilometres north-west of Sanaa, killing dozens of civilians.

“Many civilians were killed in heavy shelling as the rebels pounded citizens’ residences. Most of them are women and children,” Brig Megeli said.

The attack broke a ceasefire the Houthis signed with Bani Sara’a tribesmen in meetings with tribal sheikhs in Haja province, after fighting with them since November. At the weekend Houthis took advantage of that ceasefire to support their troops by shelling tribal villages in the province.

Mr Hadi’s army has ramped up offensives on three fronts – Al Bayda province in the southeast; in the north; and along the Red Sea coast – since the Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia on November 4 and December 19.