A high-ranking source from southern Yemen, closely aligned with the country's leadership opposing the Houthi rebels, has said that intensified US strikes on Houthi targets have significantly weakened the group, creating a unique opportunity for local authorities to deliver a decisive blow.
According to Israel’s KAN-11, the statement comes amid intensive negotiations between Yemeni factions hostile to the Houthis, the United States, and several Arab countries located along the Red Sea coast.
“American strikes on the Houthis are depleting them and preparing the ground for broader action,” the official told KAN-11. “There is a unique opportunity to destroy the Houthi regime through a ground operation led by local forces. The key is to take control of the western port city of Hodeidah — it’s their lifeline.”
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief General Michael Kurilla has met with the Chief of Staff of Saudi Arabia’s Armed Forces and the Chief of Staff of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which opposes the Houthis. A Saudi royal family source told KAN-11 that “the US must work with the forces of Yemen’s legitimate government — this is the best path forward.”
US efforts, supported by its allies, to increase military pressure on the Houthis have taken on new urgency amid growing concerns over the Houthis’ ties to al-Shabaab — a Somalia-based extremist group affiliated with al-Qaeda. Operating in the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, al-Shabaab has for years carried out kidnappings and killings across the region.
The US is reportedly in discussions with its Gulf allies about a possible ground operation in Yemen aimed at pushing the Houthis out of the country’s coastal areas. The operation could also include an attempt to retake the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, from Houthi control.
By Tamilla Hasanova
Source: caliber.az
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