RIYADH: The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen described Houthi claims on Saturday that they had targeted the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as misleading. Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the coalition, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “What the Houthis are experiencing in Taiz, and what we are witnessing in terms of human losses among the group’s members at the hands of the heroes of the Yemeni armed forces and the popular resistance on all fronts, makes them search for imaginary victories.” He described the claims as “an attempt to divert attention from the scale of the losses and the growing public anger at the militias’ behavior and their connection to foreign agendas that have brought chaos and destruction to Yemen.” The Iranian-backed group claimed to have targeted Riyadh as unified Yemeni forces were fighting to repel its attempts to consolidate positions it had attacked on the west coast. Recent Yemeni reports indicate that the group lost about 5,000 fighters in a week, while the Yemeni armed forces are carrying out a series of air and ground military operations on various fronts targeted by the Houthis. Yemeni armed forces carried out 257 precision operations against Houthi militia sites, movements and military capabilities, using warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles and rocket launchers, the forces said Saturday evening. The operations covered Sanaa, Midi, Baqim and the fronts of Al-Jawf, Marib, Al-Bayda and Lahj, with the main focus on the Taiz fronts, the armed forces’ official spokesperson, Col. Majid Al-Nuzaili, said. Targets included command and control centers, Houthi gatherings and reinforcements, combat reserves, weapons and ammunition depots, and military supply lines and equipment, he said.* This article originally appeared in Arabic in Asharq Al-Awsat, click here to read it.