Houthis claim major operation inside Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s Houthi insurgents have reported a huge assault on multiple fronts inside Saudi Arabia’s southern Najran province. Massive personnel and material losses are reported, though Saudi officials have yet to comment on the raids.
Yesterday, the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, announced that a major operation inside Najran dubbed “Victory from God” had occurred over the previous 72 hours.
Saree added that the operation was the biggest of its kind since the war began over four years ago. According to the spokesman, over 300 raids were carried out over the three day period.
Saree, via the Houthi-ran news channel Al Masirah, also claimed that “thousands” of Saudi troops were captured in the raids and that three entire Saudi brigades surrendered to the Houthi militants.
He also stated that many other troops were killed in the battles and that “hundreds of kilometers of territory had been liberated.” According to the spokesman, the operation utilized several facets of the Houthi war machine, including its armored and missile battalions.
Saudi officials have so far not commented on the purported raids. But earlier today, the Houthis released video footage claiming to show the aftermath of the battles.
Hundreds of Saudi troops and tribal fighters, many of which appear to be Yemeni, are shown being captured by the Houthi fighters. It is unlikely, however, that the numbers shown are near the claimed number of two thousand troops from three distinct Saudi brigades.
That said, dozens of military vehicles, including MRAPs and APCs, including the American-made M113, can be seen either destroyed or captured by the militants.
Markings on the vehicles clearly indicate that they belonged to a unit within the Saudi Border Guards, indicating that the raids indeed took place inside Saudi territory.
The Houthis even make a point to show Mohammad Nasser al Atefi, its defense minister, driving a captured American-made Oshkosh M-ATV marked with the Saudi Border Guards logo after inspecting the “spoils.”
Hundreds of small arms are also shown laid out as “spoils,” as is the copious amounts of ammunition captured. Dozens of killed Saudi troops and tribal allies are also shown throughout the video.
While FDD’s Long War Journal cannot independently verify claims made by the Houthi movement, it is evident from the video and subsequent photos that hundreds of Saudi troops and allied tribal fighters have indeed been killed or captured in recent days.
The massive operation came just a week after the Houthis announced a unilateral ceasefire. The militants said that they would halt attacks inside Saudi territory.
But this ceasefire came with a caveat. Mahdi al Mashat, the Houthi official that announced the ceasefire, added that “we reserve the right to respond if they [the Saudis] fail to reciprocate positively” to the move.
But just two days ago, as the Houthi operation was reportedly underway, Saudi agreed to a ceasefire. Indeed, Bloomberg reported that negotiations were underway to expand the ceasefire agreement.
After four years of conflict between the Houthi insurgents and the Saudi-led coalition, it is clear that the Houthis retain the capabilities to strike inside Saudi territory and inflict mass amounts of damage.
Coupled with the Houthis ballistic missile and drone capabilities, the movement still remains a potent adversary to the Saudis and their allies.
Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
from Long War Journal – FDD's Long War Journal https://ift.tt/2nKBFUh
via Defense News
Comments
Post a Comment