South Front

The Houthis have captured over 400km2 from Saudi-backed forces in their recent advance on the administrative border of the Yemeni provinces of al-Bayda and Marib. According to Brigadier General Sare’e, a spokesman for the Armed Forces loyal to the Houthi government, the most intense clashes took place in the Soq Qaniya area, where Houthi forces captured a large number of weapons, ammunition, vehicles and artillery pieces left behind by fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed government of Mansur Hadi.

It also should be noted that the Houthis are once again actively using military equipment and improvised multiple rocket launching systems. This indicates that they have been able to overcome the lack of spare parts, fuel and ammunition caused by the maritime, air and land blockade on the country.

Saudi sources claim that Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and Hadi forces inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis in the recent clashes. According to reports, at least 50 Houthi fighters were neutralized in the recent series of Saudi airstrikes in central and northern Yemen. However, Saudi sources provide little visual evidence to confirm these claims. In turn, their own defeats are carefully documented by the Houthi media wing.

The developments on the ground in the previous months demonstrated that the Houthis are unable to reach the Marib provincial capital in the near future because they lack resources to do this.

At the same time, they appear to be more than capable of developing offensives and making gains on other fronts. Currently, Houthi forces have been advancing near the Affar crossroad, which is located on the road to Al Bayda city. If the situation develops in the same direction and the Saudi-led coalition continues to crumble under the pressure of internal contradictions, Houthi forces will have an opportunity to besiege the city and take control of it. After this, they will once again turn their focus to Marib.