SANA’A -- Yemeni armed forces have liberated more than 3,000 square kilometers of strategic territory in Lahj province, including mountainous terrain, a coastal strip and an airport, forcing tens of thousands of Saudi-backed militants to retreat toward Aden, a senior Yemeni military source said on Sunday.
The source, speaking to Al-Mayadeen and cited by Sana’a-based outlets, said the operation targeted the Ras al-Arah and al-Mudaribah areas with the objective of securing the Bab al-Mandab Strait and protecting Ta’izz province.
The liberated areas comprise mountain ranges, key geographical chokepoints, a strategic coastal strip and an airport, the source said.
“Tens of thousands of militants from the Giants Brigades, affiliated with the UAE, and Dir al-Watan, affiliated with Saudi Arabia, have withdrawn from large parts of Ras al-Arah and al-Mudaribah,” the source said.
The Saudi-backed militants, commanded by Saudi officer Bader al-Harbi, retreated toward Aden after weeks of clashes, the source added. Hundreds of militants, including field commanders, were captured during the fighting.
The source said Yemeni forces employed missile units, drones and air defense systems during the weeks-long campaign. “Thousands of Saudi airstrikes
failed to protect their forces, who were compelled to flee following the Yemeni army’s offensive,” the source said.
A separate report by Al-Masirah described the operation as the largest flanking and encirclement maneuver in the mountainous areas of Lahj, spanning more than 60 kilometers from the Kabub mountains in the west and al-Muqatirah in the east toward al-Mudaribah.
The Saudi-backed militants were forced to withdraw from Dhubab airport, the surroundings of Kabub, and areas around Bab al-Mandab and al-Suqya, the report said. The withdrawals continued along the coastal strip beyond Khawr Umayrah and the Jibal Kharaz heights.
The source said the operation consolidated Yemeni control over all areas considered the strategic and vital depth of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, from Kabub to Khawr Umayrah.
Field sources told Al-Mayadeen on Sunday that Yemeni forces had secured positions and extensive areas in the Dhubab district on the Bab al-Mandab Strait after fierce clashes with Saudi-backed troop concentrations comprising the Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces.
The advances coincided with the rapid withdrawal of Giants Brigades forces toward Aden following the collapse of their fortifications and reinforcement lines, the sources said.
The Saudi-backed fugitive regime’s Southern Armed Forces acknowledged the redeployment on Sunday, describing it as a “calculated military move” to reinforce defenses around Aden.