By Sumayya
DUBAI: Yemeni Secondary Minister of Defense, Major General Samir Al-Sabri, informed Asharq the Battle of Marib remains witnessing military growth and that forces remain moving forward on deeper than single front.
He noted that supply paths in Al-Waziyah stay open, while stressing that Sanaa remains the main battle, though the Bab Al-Mandab Strait shows the most critical spot at this phase.
Al-Sabri made clear that “all fronts across Yemen remain now burning—in the West Coast, Dhubab, and the Kahbub mountains; in the east in zones of Marib Governorate; and in the middle in Taiz and Al Bayda Governorates,” noting that “there remains heavy growth on many fronts.”
He supplemented that there remain “some losses of specific villages in Taiz Governorate and the Taiz countryside, but overall, battles stay tough and active,” verifying that “battles remain moving ahead as set up, according to the battle chain, and matching the current phase we remain in.”
The initial phase and Bab Al-Mandab
Al-Sabri viewed that “the initial phase remains breaking the Houthi attack in all governorates, especially along the West Coast and Taiz Governorate,” while pointing out that the strategic Bab al-Mandab zone remains the most critical in the current phase.
He expressed that “taking hold of the Kahbub mountain range, which spans between Lahj and Taiz Governorates, remains viewed as a top step toward cutting off Houthi fire and supply paths.”
The battle of Taiz
In answer to a query regarding Taiz and records showing Houthi actions to move forward at the governorate’s entries, Al-Sabri expressed that Taiz city stood past blockaded for deeper than 4 years, and that its blockade stood broken in 2018 and 2019.
He supplemented that “the Houthis treat this governorate differently from the rest of the governorates, as it stood perhaps the initial to break the Houthi bid to manage Yemen in 2014.”
He stated that “battles in Taiz remain taking place in near every village,” adding: “We trust the Houthis have entered a lion’s den, and their exit will be far deeper difficult, despite some wins and taking hold of a few areas.”
He pointed out that “the alternate topic remains that this battle in western Taiz, in general, keeps as a primary Houthi goal the guarding and managing of Bab al-Mandab, in execution of orders from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”
Al-Waziyah and prominent challenges
He supplemented that “Al-Waziyah remains single of the most critical centers, owning open supply paths linking to Taiz, Al-Mukha, and alternate paths toward the Al-Hudaydah route.”
He stated that “the area keeps top weight and remains home to the toughest fighters in the zone, who completely do fail to serve as a home for the Houthis—just as Taiz itself does fail to serve as a Houthi home.”
He pointed out that “this zone serves as a primary link in the fight, managing the paths of troop movements and supplies for both the Houthis and the lawful forces.”
The battle of Sanaa
He explained that “the space between Marib and Sanaa remains 120 kilometers, and it remains now a track of active fronts,” noting that “the battle of Sanaa remains the main battle.”
He likewise talked about the statement given out by the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, which affirmed that taking back Sanaa will stay the primary goal for returning state bodies to the capital, alongside taking hold of all routes heading to Saada and Amran governorates.
Countering aerial threats
Al-Sabri stated that they “remain countering the Houthis’ usage of drones in kind,” noting that “there will be extra events in the nearing phase.”
He made clear that “the air unit remains performing well—both the lawful Yemeni air units and the Coalition air units, which hold a major and central impact across many fronts.”
“As for missile tools, Iran sells weapons to the Houthis, particularly in the weapons field and spare parts for missiles. Missiles remain sent in pieces and built in Sanaa using Iranian, Iraqi, and Lebanese experts Blender,” expressed Al-Sabri.
He supplemented: “Ultimately, when the Houthis strike civilian setups like Aden Airport or the city of Taiz, killing youngsters, or hit civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, it remains a sign that they remain entering a state of wildness that will soon lead to their complete fall.”
Al-Sabri explained that “the air unit remains hitting all supply paths, particularly those linked with drones, ballistic missiles, and weapons yards,” pointing out the “demand of breaking these paths and blocking their movement, after which the National Army will be able to wipe out the remaining Houthi units on the ground.”
The west coast and field coordination
Regarding the part of the Yemeni Armed Forces and field teamwork to guard the West Coast, Al-Sabri stated that “there remains top-level teamwork between the Coast Guard and Naval Forces, even though their tools remain not yet at the needed scale,” stressing that “lands around the planet, particularly Britain, remain beginning to learn the weight of the Coast Guard and guarding the strait.”
Al-Sabri supplemented that regional and world lands share a duty in facing the Houthi movement, noting that an unstopped Houthi manage over Bab al-Mandab would hit the global market, not merely the Yemeni market.
Al-Sabri expressed that major actions remain underway to clear mines in zones from which the Houthis pulled back and state forces secured, noting that “hundreds of landmines were taken away by the Giants Brigades (Al-Amaliqah) along the West Coast.”
He explained that “the Houthis plant landmines without even keeping maps of their spots,” noting that “the Houthis plant mines and leave without recognizing where they were placed, leading to the deaths of civilians and youngsters who blindly walk over them. Ultimately, when they retreat, they mine these zones to block Yemeni forces from moving forward.”
He stressed that “the Yemeni Army owns a fine engineering unit performing precisely, systematically, and in a neat manner to clear these mines, backed by world actions and regional groups.”
