Governor of Yemen’s Hodeidah province Dr. Al-Hassan Taher said that government forces were advancing on all military fronts, especially the west coast and Taiz. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he stressed that the government was determined to complete the full liberation of Hodeidah and west coast from the Houthis after the militants ceased their advance. Speaking from the frontlines, Taher said the government forces recaptured several positions from the Houthis and claimed new ones. The military units are securing the liberated areas and advancing in other regions, he added. The battle in Taiz has shifted in the government’s favor after stopping the Houthi advance. “We are in the process of defeating them and repelling them to the farthest point possible,” stressed Taher. The escalation sparked by the Houthis on the western coast and Taiz entered its fourth day Sunday, as government forces shifted from containing the attack to pursuing the group’s operatives in southeastern Hodeidah. Government forces have detained dozens of Houthis during the battles, the majority of whom are minors, as it continued its advance from northern Hays towards the al-Jarahi district. Taher said the fight on the west coast was the “mother of all battles,” given its strategic importance. The fight is not just between the government and Houthis, but between Yemen’s legitimacy and Iran’s proxies, he added. The armed forces are determined to continue their operations until the full liberation of Hodeidah and the west coast, he declared, warning that the Houthis’ capture of the region “would be a disaster for Yemen, and the whole region and world.” Government and joint forces announced on Saturday the full liberation of the Hays district in Hodeidah from the Houthis. Taher warned that the Houthis seizing Bab al-Mandeb would be like Iran controlling the strategic strait. It will alter the equation in the entire region, he said, calling on the legitimate government to confront the danger. He said Iran was behind the Houthi escalation on the west coast, saying it had ordered the militants to carry it out despite knowing the repercussions. He explained that after Iran could no longer reap gains from Hormuz, it shifted its attention to Bab al-Mandeb that it has long wanted to capture. He noted the extent of the funding and modern weapons being provided to the Houthis, saying it reflects Iran’s role in the fighting. On the humanitarian level, Taher said the Houthi rocket, drone and mortar attacks have killed several people. Over 790 families have been displaced. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has been the first to come to their aid and offer relief to the affected people, he stressed. He added that the Kingdom has long stood with the Yemeni people throughout various crises and they will not forget it.
