Forces loyal to Yemen’s Ansarallah movement have managed to make major advances against Saudi-backed militants south of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, officially completing the encirclement of Aden Province.
Forces loyal to Yemen’s Ansarallah movement have managed to make major advances against Saudi-backed militants south of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, officially completing the encirclement of Aden Province.
Reports said on Friday that the Yemeni forces reached the coastal strip connecting Aden to Lahij Province, Press TV reported.
Saudi-sponsored mercenaries in the areas of al-Suqiya and Ras al-Ara were given two options, surrender and face capture, or withdraw without their weapons, the reports added.
The advances come as Saudi fighter jets have carried out dozens of airstrikes to prevent the Yemeni forces from cementing their gains.
On Thursday, fierce clashes erupted along several fronts near Kharaz Camp, which is considered one of the main military support bases for Saudi-backed militants and houses a large number of warehouses containing various types of weapons.
Meanwhile, Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Friday that forces loyal to the Ansarallah movement had targeted oil infrastructure and military assets in the Saudi kingdom, including a pumping station on the East-West Pipeline with a drone as well as the Yanbu oil facility on the Red Sea.
Saree further said a military cargo plane at Sharurah airport close to Yemen’s border was targeted with a drone, while a ballistic missile launched towards Khamis Mushait airbase “scored a direct hit”.
The spokesperson added that their forces had targeted the Saudi Aramco headquarters in the capital, Riyadh, but rejected as a “grave falsehood” a Saudi assertion that the they had targeted the kingdom’s Mecca region on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is pressing the European Union to adopt an EU Parliament resolution to designate YAF, also called Ansarallah, as a “terrorist organization”, according to the Reuters news agency, citing sources familiar with the drive.
But European officials told Reuters the bloc is concerned this could undermine a future peace process.
EU foreign policy spokesperson Anouar El-Anouni said the bloc was in regular contact with Riyadh on regional developments, but declined to comment on any specific discussions under way, according to Reuters.