Yemen: Houthi commanders killed in Dhalea province shelling

Commander of coalition forces in Aden visited martyrs’ families in Dhalea province

Yemeni pro-government forces have been fighting Houth9 rebels in Dhalea province since late March 2019. EPA

Three Houthi commanders and 23 fighters have been killed by Joint Forces in Al Fakher, in the northern Dhalea province of Yemen.

“Our anti-armoured division, which was transferred from Hodeidah to boost forces fighting the Houthis in the province of Dhalea, fired three Konkurs missiles towards a Houthi site in Al Fakher area,” said Col Wathah Al Dubaish, spokesman for the Joint Forces in the western Coast in Hodeidah.

Col Al Dubaish said the first missile destroyed the building’s central command room, killing three high-ranking Houthi commanders.

One of those killed was Mohammed Bujeir, leader of the Houthi central command on the frontlines of northern Dhalea.

Two other missiles hit two military cars rushing to the site where the commanders were hit, killing 23 Houthi fighters.

“The southern Joint Forces drove the Houthi militia out of three key sites in Al Azarik district in the west of Dhalea on Wednesday,” said Col Obeid La’ram, commander of the Southern Forces in Al Azarik.

"The forces liberated the mountains of Al Shagfa and the areas of Al Rebat and Thee Ali on the borders with Taez province.

“Our forces drove the Houthi militia out of the main key sites in Al Azarik district and continued tracking the Houthis down on the bordering areas with Taez province."

Families of people killed fighting Houthi rebels in Dhalea were visited by Maj Gen Rashid Al Shamsi, commander of the Arab Coalition forces in Aden, the interim capital of Yemen, on Wednesday.

“In his visit, Gen Al Shamsi offered his deepest condolences to a woman known locally as ‘the mother of the three martyrs’ in Dhalea," said Capt Mohammed Al Nakeeb, spokesman of the Fourth Military Region.

"The elderly woman lost three of her sons in a battle with Houthi militia in Dhalea.

“Gen Al Shamsi praised the role of all the hero martyrs and their stands in the battle against the Iran-backed Houthis."