Brigadier General Yahya Sari, spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces. Source: almasirah.net.ye
On December 26, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced that their fighters captured some 1,200 square kilometers of the northern Yemen province of al-Jawf from Saudi-backed forces during a recent large-scale operation.
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the group, said that the strategic area of al-Yatemah and its surroundings were captured in the course of the operation that was codenamed “Desert Dawn”.
“Thus, the province of al-Jawf has been completely liberated, except for some desert areas,” the statement reads.
According to Brig. Gen. Sari, Houthi fighters inflicted heavy losses on Saudi-backed forces and captured loads of weapons during the operation. The spokesman said that more information on the operation will be released within a few days.
The Saudi-led coalition intensified is airstrikes on al-Jawf, as well as on the central province of Ma’rib, the western province of al-Hudaydah and the capital, Sanaa, in the last few months in a bid to stop the Houthis. However, the airstrikes were not apparently that effective.
The Houthis’ victory in al-Jawf will allow them to launch larger and bolder attacks along the border with Saudi Arabia in the near future.
