Attack kills 15 Al Houthis in their stronghold

The Yemeni army, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, has killed at least 15 militiamen from the Iran-allied Al Houthi extremists in a surprise attack in their stronghold in the north, a field source said on Tuesday.

The attack targeted Al Houthi positions in the district of Baqim north of the province of Saada near the Saudi border, the source told September Net linked to the Yemeni Defence Ministry.

Jets from the coalition, which has been fighting Al Houthis since 2015, mounted several strikes in support of the ground attack, the report added.
Government forces seized arms depot in the Monday attack, the source added.

Coalition jets meanwhile bombarded and destroyed weaponry and missile depots belonging to Al Houthis in Saada’s district of Majz, field sources reported.
More air strikes were carried out by the alliance against Al Houthi gatherings on the western edges of Saada, the sources added.
The Yemeni army is besieging Saada from three directions.

Al Houthi rebels have repeatedly used Saada as a pad for launching missiles towards Saudi Arabia.

The militants are accused of targeting civilians in Yemen’s war now in its fourth year.

At least one person was killed on Tuesday and two other civilians injured when Al Houthis opened fire at protesters in Yemen’s central province of Al Bayda, local sources said.

The demonstrators were demanding a senior Al Houthi militiaman be brought to justice for having killed a resident of the Al A’rsh Ra’ada district, which is under the rebel control, the sources told Yemeni news portal Adan Al Ghad.

Last week, local protesters blocked a main road linking Al Bayda to the militant-held capital Sana’a in protest against Al Houthis’ failure to hand over the killer.

In recent weeks, the government forces and the coalition air power have intensified attacks against Al Houthis in different parts of Yemen.

At least 52 prominent militia commanders were killed in September in clashes with government loyalists and coalition air strikes, further demoralising the rebels, military sources said.

From: Gulfnews