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Government loyalists close in on Yemen’s largest air base: defense official | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Houthi fighters wearing army uniforms ride in a pickup while patrolling in a street in Sana’a, Yemen, on July 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)


Government loyalists close in on Yemen’s largest air base: defense official

by | Jul 25, 2015 | Middle East |

Government loyalists close in on Yemen’s largest air base: defense official

Houthi fighters wearing army uniforms ride in a pickup while patrolling in a street in Sana'a, Yemen, on July 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Houthi fighters wearing army uniforms ride in a pickup while patrolling in a street in Sana’a, Yemen, on July 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Aden, Asharq Al-Awsat—Fighters loyal to Yemen’s government-in-exile on Friday clashed with Houthis inside the rebel-held Al-Anad Air Base, the country’s largest, after capturing most of the surrounding area, a senior defense official said.

At least 12 were killed and dozens injured when a Katyusha rocket, fired by loyalists, hit a gathering of Houthi rebels and followers of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh near the air base on Friday.

The base is located in the southern Lahej province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) north of the newly captured Aden. It served as the headquarters for US counterterrorism operations in southern Yemen until Houthi insurgents consolidated their control of Sana’a in late 2014.

The pro-government forces, known as the Popular Resistance, have set their sights on the air base since they captured the southern city of Aden earlier this month in a closely coordinated operation with Saudi-led coalition forces.

Meanwhile, the Popular Resistance has stepped up military operations against Houthis in the southern province of Taiz.

“Resistance forces have captured Jabal Al-Waesh from the Houthis and Saleh’s followers,” local sources said.

More than 20 insurgents were killed and dozens injured during the fighting.

Local activists said Houthis had targeted residential areas in Taiz in response to their recent defeat in Aden.

“Houthis stepped up their shelling of the residential areas in the northern and central parts of Taiz,” eyewitnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat.

At least five were killed and dozens injured on Friday when mortars, fired by Houthis, struck a group of children who were waiting to collect water from a tanker in the Al-Jumhuri district in southern Taiz.

Separately, two Saudi planes arrived in Aden on Friday bringing equipment to reopen the city’s international airport following four months of fighting, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported.

Fighters loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, backed by Saudi-led coalition forces, captured the strategic city of Aden and its airport from Houthis on July 14.

Houthis entered Aden in late March, prompting Hadi to seek refuge in Saudi Arabia and call on the Kingdom to intervene militarily in Yemen. In response to his call, Riyadh has been bombarding Houthi positions for more than three months in an effort to restore the beleaguered president to power.