Saudi forces repel Houthi attack

JEDDAH: Saudi forces stationed on the southern border repelled Wednesday an attack by Houthi militias and forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The attack targeted Al-Dood Mountain in the Al-Khobah area. Saudi forces launched a counterattack that resulted in the death of at least 15 Houthi fighters and the capture of four others by the Parachute Brigade.
Military sources said the Saudi forces and artillery, backed by Apache helicopters, managed to repel the attack.
Dozens of militiamen fled the battleground, abandoning their weapons.
Arab coalition forces, meanwhile, bombed military sites controlled by the Houthis and their supporters, targeting the Hafa camp to the east of Sanaa with four air raids.
Other sites targeted were in Marhabah and the intersection of Ramadah in Naham directorate, 40 km east of Sanaa.
Loud explosions were heard and plumes of smoke seen emerging from the targeted sites, while warplanes of the coalition flew overhead.
In Najran, Civil Defense dealt with a military projectile launched by the Houthis from inside Yemen that targeted a medical clinic and resulted in damage to the premises and the injury of a clinic staff.
Capt. Abdulkhaleq Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the Directorate of Civil Defense in Najran, said Civil Defense teams on Wednesday evening dealt with a report stating that a military projectile had been launched by elements from inside Yemeni territory on Al-Khadra Port in Najran, resulting in damages to a medical clinic and the injury to an Indian employee.
“He was moved to hospital for treatment and the competent bodies started to implement the procedures adopted in such situations,” said the spokesman.
Military analyst Shami Al-Dahiri said the Houthis carrying out daily operations on the Saudi border are facing fierce counterattacks by Saudi forces, forcing them to flee and their casualties mounting.

“Our special forces are also carrying out operations with their Emirati counterparts in South Yemen, particularly in Al-Mukalla, against the coalition of Daesh and Al-Qaeda with the Houthis and the supporters of the ousted Saleh,” said the analyst.
Al-Dahiri said Taiz witnessed intense battles between the supporters of Saleh and the Houthis from one side, and the popular resistance from the other, to control the road for aid coming from Aden and the Port of Mocha for Taiz.
“The popular resistance army remains entrenched in this area,” he added.
He also confirmed that clashes have been continuing for more than a week in Madinat Al-Bedah and on the Damt front in the Shabwah directorate and the small port of Belhadj in Shabwah, which is used for arms smuggling as well as export of oil and gas.