Aden, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni army forces backed by airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Houthi movement in Yemen on Monday wrested control of a strategic dam in the central Ma’rib province, which has for months been under the control of Houthi militias.

Ma’rib’s Governor Sultan Al-Arada told Asharq Al-Awsat ground and artillery units from the Yemeni army as well as coalition warplanes had liberated the Mar’ib Dam in what he called a “great and historic victory” over the Iran-backed Houthis and their allies.

Arada said scores of Houthi fighters had been killed and injured in “fierce” battles with the Yemeni army, with others also taken hostage. Those who fled had left behind Iranian-marked equipment.

“There can be no doubt that the Iranian support for the Houthis is obvious, especially in light of the equipment we have found which bears clear marks [which point to this],” he said.

Army forces have also gained control of several roads surrounding the dam, which have been used by the Houthis for transporting reinforcements to the area to shore up their defenses in the face of the incoming pro-government forces.

The Yemeni army, pro-government loyalists, and the coalition now hope to liberate the rest of the province, after making significant inroads against the Houthis in recent days.

Brig. Gen. Amin Al-Okaimi from the Yemeni army told Asharq Al-Awsat army forces backed by the coalition would now head to the Al-Jawf province, which lies just north of Ma’rib.

In the past months, Yemeni army and pro-government forces backed by the coalition have succeeded in wresting control of a number of areas in Yemen from the Houthi rebels.

Southern regions of the country are now almost completely under the control of the pro-government factions, including the strategic port city of Aden. Members of the government as well as Yemen’s internationally recognized President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have returned to the city to set up a rival power base to the Houthis’ in the capital Sana’a after spending months in exile.

Yemen’s crisis began in September 2014 when the Houthis, backed by Iran and forces loyal to ousted ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, took over the capital and spread to other areas of the country.

The Houthis then launched a coup in February of this year, deposing Hadi and the government. The group has ignored international calls for them to withdraw from areas under their control and stop attacking civilians.

The Saudi-led anti-Houthi campaign began in March when Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia following his escape from a Houthi-imposed house arrest in Sana’a. Once in the Saudi capital Riyadh he requested the Kingdom and its Arab allies intervene with military force in Yemen in order to restore the legitimate political authority in the country.

Humanitarian aid

On Monday, a ship carrying humanitarian aid from Saudi Arabia arrived in Aden’s port. The supplies were provided under instructions from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz via the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Works.

A spokesman from the Riyadh-based NGO said the ship was carrying some 4,500 tons of supplies which included food and medical supplies and equipment. The Center has also made available 270,000 Saudi riyals (72,000 US dollars) to help combat the spread of dengue fever in Aden. Four medical centers, at a cost of over 1 million riyals (270,000 dollars) in total will also be set up in the city.

In May King Salman increased Saudi Arabia’s aid commitment to Yemen to over half a billion dollars.