“I believe we may be approaching the final chapter for the Houthis,” Gulf researcher says.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Yemen is amassing 80,000 loyal troops to attack rebel Houthis and recapture the strategic Hodeidah Port, Emirati state media reported on Friday.
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center based in Saudi Arabia, said the attack could potentially be the largest of the civil war.
“To my best knowledge, there is a preparation of almost 80,000 soldiers from the legitimate Yemeni government in different locations to take over [Hodeidah],” Sager said.
The 80,000 total is a majority of the legitimate military forces in Yemen, and the operation’s goal is to take back the capital city, Sana’a, for Yemen’s government, which was overrun by Houthis in 2014.
Hodeidah, a leading port in Yemen, was a crucial location for importing food.
Concerning a meeting between US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla and the Chief of Staff of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Sagheer Hamoud Ahmed Aziz, in Saudi Arabia last week, Sager said the US has agreed to provide drone surveillance and air cover for Yemeni forces.
“I believe we may be approaching the final chapter for the Houthis,” Sager said. “They’ve been given every opportunity to engage in political dialogue and contribute to a government that could spare Yemen from further suffering.”
However, Sager warned that the Yemeni government’s planned operation in Hodeidah may attract international criticism.
A previous operation against the Houthis took place in 2018 and involved the Yemeni, Saudi, and Emirati troops surrounding Hodeidah and cutting off supplies to the Houthis.
However, the UN pressured Yemen and coalition forces to sign the 2018 Stockholm Agreement to stop the operation and to allow humanitarian supplies into Hodeidah.
Meanwhile, Houthi militants fired a missile that set off air raid sirens across central Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday.
Missile debris was later found in the Hebron area of the West Bank.
The IDF stated that efforts to intercept the missile were “likely successful.” Authorities have not reported any injuries.
