Houthis Launch Broad Attack on Yemeni Forces, Ending Truce

Alsharq Tribune- Hany Yosef 

The Iran-backed Houthi group launched on Thursday a broad attack on government forces in the Marib and Hadramawt provinces it the greatest escalation since the 2022 UN-sponsored truce went into effect.

Observers warned that the attack threatens to ignite the war in Yemen that was sparked by the Houthi coup against the legitimate government in 2014.

Military sources said the Houthis used rockets and drones to attack the Emergency Forces and National Shield Forces, leaving dozens dead and wounded. Field sources said at least 45 government troops were killed.

The figure was expected to rise. The attack took place as the Houthis continued their attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, raising fears in Yemen that the country was entering a new phase of the conflict, which the legitimate government asserts can only end with the militants ending their coup.

The attack also took place as the Defense Ministry said it was carrying out a wide security and military campaign in liberated areas in wake of rising assassinations and smuggling operations, including the killing of military commander Osama al-Radfani and his companions.

Government military media said the Houthis launched their attack in wake of the military and security successes in recent weeks that included cracking down on smugglers and robbers and suspects wanted for assassinations and organized crime.

Observers said the Houthi attack sought to deliver a message that the militants were still capable at striking deep into government-held regions.

The attack cannot be separated from regional developments with the Houthis continuing to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

During a videocall with UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba said the Houthi attacks do not reflect the interests of the Yemeni people.

Rather, they reflect the Houthis’ ties with the Iranian agenda in the region and how they are using Yemeni territories and waters to threaten international marine navigation and drag Yemen into the regional conflict.

She said the militants used the period of calm to reorganize themselves and bolster their military capabilities, instead of seriously addressing political, economic and humanitarian files.

The truce must be the gateway to the political solution, not a means to consolidate the status quo, she stressed.