The Yemeni Armed Forces have announced the launch of the ‘Battle of Liberation’ to complete the restoration of state institutions and end the coup.
In a statement yesterday, official Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah Al Nazili said the military campaign aims to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and enable them to exercise their right to a homeland ‘where sovereignty belongs only to the people, and authority rests only with the constitution and the rule of law’.
The Yemeni Armed Forces said the ‘national battle’ represents a bridge to returning Yemen to its ‘Arab fold’, stressing that they were advancing ‘with steadfastness and determination’ towards Houthi strongholds.
They also praised the ‘fraternal’ positions of the coalition countries supporting legitimacy in Yemen, stressing that the homeland ‘has room for all its sons who return to the right path’. They also called on those they described as ‘misled’ to stay out of the fighting.
The statement came hours after Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad Al -Alimi announced the start of military operations to retake the remaining territory of the republic and extend state authority and its institutions across the country. He said the country was moving from the stage of preparation to military action.
He also noted that the decision was taken based on resolutions by the National Defence Council and after all necessary procedures and measures had been completed. He said the state had exhausted all chances for de-escalation, adding that the continued presence of weapons outside the state’s control posed a threat to the security of citizens, the sovereignty of Yemen and the region, and international shipping routes.
Al Alimi also stressed that the operations were not targeting residents of provinces under Houthi control and did not constitute a war against any region, sect or tribe.
Rather, he described them as the ‘battle of the state’ to restore its institutions and prevent the will of the Yemeni people from being overridden by force of arms. He called on civilians to stay away from military positions, gatherings and Houthi supply routes.
Earlier yesterday, Yemeni Armed Forces warplanes carried out a series of intensive air strikes, with more than 20 raids targeting Houthi strongholds, mobilisation camps, command and control centres, and military reinforcements in Al Jawf and Marib governorates.
The strikes also targeted the Al Aqshaa area and the Al Nader desert mountains, as well as destroying a missile launch pad in the Al Mahzamat area in the western part of the governorate.
In Marib, the air strikes focused on disrupting the Houthis’ command and supply capabilities on the southern front. Four air strikes targeted a Houthi command and control centre in Al Jubah district, along with military reinforcements and gatherings along the governorate’s southern front.
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