Aden, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Houthi movement has withdrawn half of its militias currently stationed in the central Ma’rib province to areas bordering Sana’a, in preparation for an impending assault on the capital by government loyalists and forces from the anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia, according to informed sources.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, a high-ranking official from the Yemeni army said the Houthis are now “making pre-emptive [moves] to withdraw their forces from a number of areas” in Ma’rib in order to reposition them near the Sana’a border, some 124 miles (200 kilometers) east.

The Houthis have been in control of Sana’a for over a year, after their forces overran the capital taking over government and military buildings and facilities, aided by security forces still loyal to ousted ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

“The [Houthi] militias are clearly becoming very nervous and have received orders to withdraw 50 percent of their forces [in Ma’rib] to the [Sana’a border],” the source said.

Meanwhile, other sources told Asharq Al-Awsat warplanes belonging to the Saudi-led coalition hit targets in the southwestern Taiz province, including Iranian-made rockets thought to have been recently acquired by the Houthis.

Government loyalist forces, aided by coalition airstrikes, have succeeded in recent months in liberating most of the southern regions in the country that had been captured by the Houthis over the past year, including the port city of Aden.

Several government figures, including Prime Minster and Vice President Khaled Bahah, have now returned to the city to resume the government’s work, following the recent progress made by government loyalist and army forces.

Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi returned to Aden—the first time he has been back in the country since being forced into exile by the Houthis in March—on September 23.

Meanwhile, on Thursday the Yemeni army and coalition forces recaptured the strategic Bab El-Mandeb strait. The thoroughfare, through which millions of barrels of oil per year pass through on their way to international markets, was captured by the Houthis earlier this year. Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, relies heavily on the strait to ship its crucial oil exports abroad.

Prime Minister Bahah officially handed over control of the strait to Yemeni army forces on Saturday.

One political analyst told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The move sends a clear message to the Houthis and Saleh’s forces that the tables have turned [in the conflict] and that the rebels need to face up to reality and accept that events are no longer favoring them—and that they can no longer continue in their futile, fading military efforts.”

Mohamed Ali Mohsen contributed additional reporting from Aden.