(for a large, high resolution, image of this map please click here)
SouthFront reports:
In the early August, the Saudi-led coalition officially invaded Yemen. At least 3000 coalition troops with military equipment deployed in Aden as part of the second offensive of “Operation Golden Arrow” to roll back the territory held by the al Houthi government. The Yemeni government has been deploying fighters in Aden and Taiz where Saudi-led forces are focused. Al Houthi-linked attacks along the border with Saudi Arabia have increased.
- July 31 – August 3, The Saudi-led coalition officially deployed what is reported to be a brigade of tanks and other armored vehicles to boost the fight against the Yemeni government. A Total of around 3000 troops, primarily from the UAE, with military equipment landed in the southern port city of Aden. In late July, the port officials in Aden already reported the arrival of medium and heavy weapons to arm the anti-al Houthi militias fighting there.
- August 2, Al Houthi leader Abdul Malik al Houthi called for his supporters to continue to fight, describing the success of the Saudi Arabia-led “Operation Golden Arrow” as a limited achievement and that the offensive would “collapse.” According to reports, the Yemeni government has been continuing a deployment of fighters into Taiz and Aden, where the Operation Golden Arrow offensive has focused.
- August 2-4, Pro-Hadi forces assisted by ground troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been preparing for a “final push” to recapture al Anad military base in Lahij governorate. The al Houthis and Saleh loyalists have held al Anad military base since the end of March. The base itself controls the primary road north from Aden city.
- August 3, At least one Saudi soldier was killed during clashes between Yemeni forces and Saudi forces in the Aden province. Meanwhile, Yemeni forces stormed the Saudi military base of Makhroq after hitting it with artillery fire in retaliation for the Saudi onslaught against the country.
- August 3, Saudi fighter jets targeted the Hidan and Sahar districts of Yemen’s northwestern province of Sa’ada.
- August 4, The Yemeni forces fired mortar shells at Saudi military positions in the al-Tawal district, the al-Dood military zone and the village of Khobah in Jizan Province, inflicting losses on Saudi military equipment and forcing the troops there to leave behind their positions. The Yemeni media also reported the allied forces fired rockets at the al-Jihad military zone in Jizan, Arrabeh and Rabouah zones in the Zahran district in the southern Saudi province of Asir.
- August 5, The UAE and Saudi troops supported by pro-Hadi militants pushed north, attacking the strategic Al-Anad air base from several sides. Then, Pro-Saudi sources reported that the Saudi-led coalition took control on the airbase. However, the Yemeni media stated that al Houthi fighters successfully repealed the attack.
- August 5, Saudi warplanes conducted a series of airstrikes against Yemen’s central province of Ma’rib, Hajjah Province in the northwest and the southern province of Bayda. At the same time, the Yemeni media reported that the Yemeni army’s air defense forces downed the helicopter with a surface-to-air missile in the district of Harad in the western province of Hajjah.
The arrival of UAE and Saudi troops and military equipment in Yemen represents a significant escalation in the military campaign against the Houthi government which has struggled to roll back their territorial gains. Fighting now focuses over control of the Yemen’s largest air base, Al Anad.
An interesting fact is that Saudi Arabia and its allies have decided to commit more of their own resources in the fight against the Yemeni government in power. It’s widely known that Saudi forces, essentially mercenaries, don’t have a successful experience in full-scale land operations. Here are the possible reasons of the coalition’s decision:
- The “gains” of pro-Hadi militants without support of the coalition are more a PR campaign than real victories.
- The presence of additional foreign troops may be an attempt to show the strength of Hadi’s government and discourage southerners from seeking to fully secede.
Despite the hard situation in the country, the al Houthis continue to push forward with governance plans for Yemen and recently announced plans to construct an oil port with an initial capacity of 500,000 tons in al Salif district in al Hudaydah, near the Ras Isa floating export terminal.
The focus on the dynamics between the Yemen government and the Saudi-led coalition distracts from activities of terrorists, which continues to exploit the crisis to expand its presence in Yemen. ISIS’s Wilayat Aden has released its first report on service-provision in Yemen. A photo set entitled, “Health Services: Visit to the Medical Center of Office of Health,” on July 28 shows care giving to patients in a room with the black flag with the shahada hung in it. It’s the first evidence that ISIS is attempting to provide services to Yemenis. Therefore, ISIS seeks additional support of locals in Yemen.
See for additional information about the developments in the region:
This feels like you’ve been given a beautiful sheet… and then some mad idiots run all over it with with piles of dung stuck to their boots and no matter what you do, you can’t shake them off.
The sad [or bad] part about it is, I ain’t talking about the ‘terrorists.’
From the start of the Saudi war against the Houthis, we have been fed a lot of information that indicated the air war would not be successful and the land war would be the end to SA.
Facts are the opposite. It looks like Iran blinked when their effort to resupply was blocked. And the Houthis have not been able to avoid massive destruction and strategic losses. So, they had no viable air defense and no good Intel.
Egypt has bought in for the long haul against the Houthis.
It all looks really terminal. Yemen has always been a conflict zone with many catastrophic military reversals. This appears to be another in the making.
The geostrategic position is too close to US interests. Iran is not adept at resupply over the sea routes. And the MANPADS and missile systems and radars the Houthis needed never were there.
I’m afraid that is as I predicted.Slowly the Saudi/UAE backed forces are winning.But all still isn’t lost.Yemen was unlikely to have turned out differently.The Houthi forces need to do what they are good at,destroy enemies that come into their mountain territories.And hit,and hit,and hit again,inside Saudi Arabia.Bring the war to their cities,and bases.Make them tremble at a sound in the night,thinking its a bomb going off.Eliminate any and all Saudi officials you can reach with your bullet or bomb.Make them curse the day they dreamed to invade Yemen.In that way you gain victory in Yemen.Turn Yemen and the Saudi border provinces into Saudi Arabia’s, Vietnam and Afghanistan.A policy the NAF should have adopted in Banderatan as well,but haven’t.Some seem to never learn history’s lessons.
AS it stands now the UAE and Saudi’s have around 3000 troops and maybe 100-200 armored vehicles 40~ of which are tanks. That is enough to create a large beachhead but not probably enough to march into Sana. There is a lot of choke points between where they are now and Sana. I have no clue as to how many foot soldiers they have as well. I pretty sure much of the 3000 troops are involved in logistics and operating the armored vehicles. To invade the North they will need to commit a lot more man power. The other thing also is most of the Houthi anti-armor weapons is probably in the north as they were probably thinking that tanks would roll down from the Saudi boarder not from the south from the sea. Once they shift weapons south that should slow the advance north.
That the ISIS wants to save the Yemenies is good news indeed! Saudi Arabia simply decided to eliminate Yemen, a tactic and policy the USA is well versed in. As US President Bush 1 would have exclaimed in pleasure what brothers the two countries are!
Red said “Egypt has bought in for the long haul against the Houthis.”
This may be grim, but if Putin faces down Ergodan, which his “Big Stalingrad” threat seems to imply he might, and supply lines to ISIS in Syria are cut, morale may improve here and in Yemen.
http://tarpley.net/behind-putins-big-stalingrad-ultimatum-to-turkey/
Meanwhile, I am probably less informed on Egypt, but one would think that this new canal business in Egypt is positive and BRICS-like, similar to the Nicaragua canal?
https://youtu.be/_xp6uEWmNNc I hope so. I was in Cairo, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings in 1957 and this video caused a non-Egytptian (me), reflecting on more than 5000 years of Egyptian history, tears of emotion like those of the proud Egyptians celebrating the completion of the NEW Suez Canal in the video.
Note how ISIS, al qaida and the ZPC/NWO (Saudi) are located in the same region, but the fighting is where the Houthis are. Apparently the former 3 groups get along fine. Fancy that…
Thanks for the update, Southfront.
VIP Armoring Industry Company is a regional leader in the armoring industry.
The thorough knowledge and expertise of ballistic protection systems and armored vehicles manufacturing makes VIP the ultimate destination for a variety of clients whether for civilian or military applications.
VIP Headquarters are situated in Jordan, the prime facilities operates in the flagship of KADDB Industrial Park and provides a comprehensive range of armored vehicles and spare parts which are distributed for the whole r