‘Yemeni forces advance on new fronts in Bayda, liberate Al-Qanza hilltop’

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for Yemeni armed forces, was quoted as saying by The al-Masirah news network Tuesday that significant progress has been made in the ongoing military operation.

Saree announced the liberation of Aqaba al-Qanza hilltop, which overlooks the town of Bayhan.

“Thanks to God and the heroic efforts of army and popular committees, al-Qanza pass in the city of Nu’man came back under the control of (Yemeni) forces,” he said during his visit to the province.

He stressed that the military gains by the resistance front has created a “deterrent” against the armed mercenaries sponsored by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US.

The military spokesperson, giving details about the ‘al-Nasr al-Mubin Operation’ (Clear Victory) said hundreds of kilometers of the occupied Yemeni territory was cleared within four days of the second phase of the multi-pronged operation, which began on July 20.

He said army forces and popular committees have been deployed in all areas around the village of Bijan in oil-producing Shabwa Province, saying they are in control of the situation.

The spokesperson also declared the dominance of Yemeni armed forces on the strategic route of al-Qanza, which overlooks al-Abdiya and Murad operational fronts in Ma’rib Province, 70 miles east of Sana’a.

Addressing the people of Yemen, Saree said the offensive will continue until the “last inch of the Yemeni territory” is cleared of foreign mercenaries, adding that the morale of resistance forces remains high.

Earlier this week, the spokesperson for the Yemeni military had announced the liberation of two key districts, Nu’man and Nata’e, from the control of foreign mercenaries in the province of Bayda.

He said that an area of 380 sq-km had been liberated while at least 160 terrorists were neutralized in the military operation by Yemeni armed forces and popular committees.

In the second phase of the military operation, he noted, the Saudi-led coalition forces had carried out conducted at least 67 raids against Yemeni forces.

Yemeni resistance forces, in turn, used solid-fuel Badr and Sair missiles, besides drones to pummel the marauding mercenaries.

Major military gains

Yemen’s military continues to make advancements against the Saudi-backed militants in different parts of the country. Earlier this week, it regained control over the last base held by mercenaries in the south of Ma’rib Province.

Yemen Press Agency in a report said the country’s army and allied popular committees had recaptured the strategic al-Fuqara Mountains following fierce military confrontation between the two sides.

Yemeni forces also made significant territorial gains in other areas between Ma’rib and Sana’a.

Ma’rib, wedged in the middle of many key Yemeni provinces, has turned into a battleground territory as both Yemeni forces and Saudi-backed mercenaries look to control it.

Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and regional allies, launched the devastating war on Yemen in 2015, with the goal of reinstalling the regime of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and crushing the popular Ansarullah resistance movement.

Yemeni armed forces backed by the popular committees, however, foiled the scheming plots of foreign invaders and recorded massive military gains in recent months.

Lately, the Saudi-led coalition has been recruiting Daesh and al-Qaeda terrorists to fight the Yemeni forces, especially in southern Bayda province. The resistance, however, has prevailed so far.

The protracted war in Yemen has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and displaced millions of others. It has also led to the worst humanitarian crisis in modern human history.