Yemen troops press offensive against Houthis along Red Sea coast

Dozens of Houthi (Ansarallah) fighters have been killed over the past week in fierce clashes with Yemeni forces or in airstrikes by Arab coalition fighter jets in the Red Sea coast battlefield in western Yemen.

After liberating al-Khokha from the Iran-backed Houthi militia in early December and Hays district on February 6th, Yemeni troops are pressing an offensive to advance deeper into al-Hodeida province.

The aim is to recapture the city of al-Hodeida, one of the country's biggest port cities under Houthi control, secure navigation in the Red Sea and cut off Iran’s arms supplies to the Houthis.

The Yemeni Defence Ministry said on February 20th that at least 100 Houthis were killed in three days of fierce clashes with government forces or in coalition airstrikes on the outskirts of al-Jarrahi district in al-Hodeida.

Fighting is raging outside al-Jarrahi, to the north of Hays, with coalition fighter jets targeting Houthi gatherings and equipment. The airstrikes have paved the way for government forces on the ground to make headway in the province, and to lay siege on al-Jarrahi.

Restoring services to liberated areas

Meanwhile, the province's authorities are hard at work to restore services to Khokha, whose service sector and infrastructure declined under the poor administration of the Houthi militia, analysts tell Al-Mashareq.

Khokha and other liberated areas under the administrative authority of al-Hodeida province are receiving an inflow of aid and assistance, local media reported.

On February 7th, a convoy of medical aid entered Khokha, the official Saba News Agency said. The convoy carried 10 tonnes of medicines and various medical supplies that were distributed to Khokha's field hospital and the Maternity and Children's Centre.

Al-Hodeida province governor al-Hassan Taher visited Khokha in January to inspect living conditions there, local media reported.

He visited the General Hospital and the education centre for girls and met with staff members, saying that efforts are underway to dispense salaries to state employees in the district.

Taher expressed his thanks to the Arab coalition for its support for the liberation operations and for the humanitarian support provided by the UAE Red Crescent.

On February 11th, Taher presided over a meeting of the executive office of Khokha to reveal the province's work plan to develop the district.

The province will work to rehabilitate health and education facilities, restore water and electricity services and repair infrastructure damaged during the war, the governor said.

The lack of services during the Houthis' control of areas on the western coast of Yemen underscore the militia's "failure in administering the areas under its control", said political researcher Amin al-Azazi.

Coalition support 'key' to victory

The Arab coalition is key in achieving victory as it directs and supports the operations carried out by the national army to recapture al-Hodeida, al-Azazi said.

But while coalition forces played a crucial role in Khokha’s liberation, al-Azazi said, "it was made possible with the enormous sacrifices of the Yemeni armed forces and support of the people of the region".

"The successes achieved by the national army were further enhanced by the withdrawal of some units of the Republican Guard after the killing of former president Ali Abdallah Saleh," he said, as some of the units returned to the fold of the Yemeni army.

A key source of the Yemeni army's strength is the air cover provided by the Arab coalition, al-Hodeidah University political science professor Nabil al-Sharjabi told Al-Mashareq.

"As long as the Houthis lack air cover, they will not win the battle, only delay its [inevitable] outcome," he said.

The Arab coalition has numerous elements of strength, "including military capability, combat efficiency, and a [Yemeni] environment that is supportive of the Yemeni armed forces and the Arab coalition", said political analyst and writer Abdul Malik al-Yousefi.

But another crucial factor in winning the war against the Houthis, he said, is "the strong and unifying will of the Yemenis to liberate their country from Iran’s clutches".