Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen continues its victories on Taiz fronts

Eslam Mohamed

The forces of the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen continue their victories on the fronts of Taiz in the face of the Tehran-backed Houthis, in a continuation of battles that started many months ago, to protect the city from the militia’s attempts to target it.

The first operations of the Arab coalition in Yemen began on March 25, 2015, under the name Decisive Storm, in response to a request from the President of the Republic of Yemen, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, due to the Houthi attack on the temporary capital, Aden. The operation was then named Restoring Hope on April 21, 2015.

Violent battles have recently erupted between the Arab coalition forces and the Yemeni National Army forces on the one hand, and the Houthi coup militia on the other, in several areas in western Taiz in the southwest of the country.

The official Yemen News Agency (Saba) reported that the army and the popular resistance attacked militia positions in the areas of Hadhran and Al-Subahi, resulting in the killing of seven militia members, including field commander Abu Ali al-Raymi, the militia commander in Sharaab Junction, and the injury of six others.

The source pointed out that the militia’s military kit carrying ammunition was burned, and the confrontations are still continuing. The media center of the Yemeni army confirmed that its forces have achieved success and progress on the fronts in the face of terrorist militia.

The Yemeni forces and the popular resistance forces supporting them have been fighting fierce battles against the Houthis since 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched Operation Decisive Storm against the Iranian-backed militia.

The military operation contributed to confronting the militia’s expansion and supporting counter-insurgency efforts, especially in the southern regions. However, northern Yemen still suffers under the control of the Houthis, and its governorates are still open battlefields.

The importance of Marib lies in the fact that, if it falls, it will constitute a consolidation of the Houthi hegemony over the north, and certainly the Houthis will not be satisfied with just the north, but will have their eye on the south. Therefore, this battle around Marib is pivotal and decisive, and this explains the desperation of the Houthis on the area’s walls and their insistence on pushing their striking forces into it squares.

The role of the Arab coalition in Yemen did not depend on military support, but extended to political initiatives to end the conflict, as the Saudi initiative for a comprehensive solution is the latest opportunity presented by the Arab coalition, in an effort to return the conflicting parties to a safe dialogue within an advanced tactic, culminating in Operation Restoring Hope. But Iran’s representative to the Houthi militia, Hassan Erlo, announced his rejection of the Saudi initiative, and Tehran continued to provide the militia with weapons and equipment to continue their terrorist operations against the Yemeni people.