Envoy: Mar’rib liberation to change course of Yemen war like Syria’s Aleppo

Yemen’s ambassador to Tehran has likened the battle for liberation of Ma’rib to that for Syria’s Aleppo from the grip of foreign-backed terrorists, saying the recapture of the strategic province will be a “turning point” in the war.

Speaking Tasnim news agency, Ibrahim Mohammad al-Dailami said that the Yemeni army and allied fighters from Popular Committees are currently in control of 12 towns in Ma’rib following agreements with local tribes.

The Yemeni forces “are advancing every day. We are satisfied with our situation in the battle. This is while the army and Popular Committees are fighting on an open ground without air cover,” he said. 

“In fact,… the victories that Ansarullah fighters have achieved so far are truly miraculous because they are under siege,” he added.

Dailami also called the Ma’rib battle the hardest fight in Yemen, stressing, however, that negotiations with local tribes have played a very positive role in the gains so far and led the Ansarullah fighters to the gate of Ma’rib city.

“This Ma’rib battle is like the Aleppo fighting in Syria. The liberation of Aleppo was a turning point in the Syria war and changed the course of war in the country. We believe that if Ma’rib is liberated, it will be easy to liberate the rest of Yemen,” he said.

The Yemeni envoy further explained that Ma’rib city is occupied by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States, with Daesh, al-Qaeda, and Islah Party militants fighting in their ranks.

“The army and Popular Committees are determined to prevent the country’s disintegration and liberate the occupied territories… Indeed, the battle in the occupied areas is a war with military personnel from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States, and they have to leave Yemen,” he said.