Yemeni forces make gains in Saada push

18 AL HOUTHIS KILLED IN HEAVY CLASHES AND AIR STRIKES OUTSIDE SANA’A

Yemeni government forces have escalated their push inside the northern province of Saada, Al Houthis’ heavily fortified heartland, seizing control of a number of mountainous locations and killing dozens of militiamen, Yemen’s Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

In a statement on its official news site, the ministry said government forces engaged in heavy clashes with Al Houthi militants in the region of Ketaf, eastern Saada, as they resumed their assault on Al Houthi-occupied territory.

The fighting focused on a chain of rough mountains in Ketaf and government forces achieved limited gains on the battlefield on Friday and yesterday, the ministry said.

Fighter jets from the Saudi-led coalition attacked Al Houthi military gatherings and sites in Ketaf, killing many militants, including Ahmad Hussain Mayed, a field commander, and destroyed military equipment.

Last week, Yemen’s army declared it had pushed more than 10 kilometres inside Ketaf after taking control of several hills and seizing arms abandoned by Al Houthis.

The intensifying assault in Ketaf comes as thousands of other troops, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, are fighting their way into Al Houthiheld areas in the south-western and northern parts of the province. Yemen’s army and the coalition have recently opened up new fronts in Saada to erode Al Houthi power.

Sheltering in Saada

Al Houthi leader, Abdul Malek Al Houthi, and other senior commanders are thought to be sheltering in Saada. The Saudi-led coalition recently said Al Houthi ballistic missiles that were fired at Saudi Arabia were launched from Saada and Amran provinces.

Meanwhile, in Nehim district, just outside of Al Houthi-held Sana’a, as many as 18 Al Houthi militants were killed in heavy clashes and air strikes by the coalition fighter jets.