Yemen’s army, along with the Arab coalition, has been working to sever critical supply lines of the Houthi rebels in a push to recapture Hodeidah and Sanaa on behalf of the legitimate government.
The Iran-backed Houthi insurgency sprawling from the capital Sanaa is facing difficulty supplying its outlying militias as the Yemeni army continues to pinch their stream to weaponry.
The most recent campaign took place in the Taez governorate, located at a central crossroads connecting Sanaa to the north with the rest of the country.
Control for the area has shifted several times between Houthis and the Yemeni army since fighting broke out in 2015. In February 2018, army forces — with UAE air support — captured Haiys and cut off the supply route that links Taez province with the port city of Hodeidah.
The military manoeuvre came at a critical point as Houthi militias were beginning to entrench themselves in the city and secure supply routes from the rebel-held north.
"They were tightening their hold around the city from all the directions, but as they lost their supply route, which extends from Hodeidah, they started to suffer and that caused a big loss for them," Col Abdulbaset Al Baher, a military official in Taez, told The National.
The rebel group is now forced to transfer supplies and reinforcements via rigorous mountain corridors and desert routes, exposing themselves to Arab coalition air strikes.
Control of the route opened the opportunity for Yemeni forces to capture the Khalid bin Al Waleed base in Al Mokha and secure a portion of the Red Sea coast that leads to Hodeidah — the coalition’s second biggest target.
The plan is based off the effective implementation of cutting off supply routes in Aden and Lahj in 2015 when the Houthi militia was sending supply to the southern region.
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Read more:
Yemeni military looks to cut off main Houthi supply route
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"Cutting Akkan bridge off was a fatal blow for the Houthi militia, which lost the main artery used to supply its militants in Aden, Lahj, and the Al Anad area," said Maj Gen Naser Salem Al Radfani, a commander in the south of the country.
The bridge, according to Maj Gen Al Radfani, was being used to transport ammunition and goods imported from Iran through Sanaa airport to Houthi militias in the south.
Lt Mohammed Al Naqeeb said coalition jets were forced to launch air strikes on Sanaa airport in 2015 for that reason.
"We all remember when the first Iranian aircraft landed in Sanaa airport in March 2015, when the Houthi militia announced that two Iranian air flights will start landing in Sanaa airport every day,” he said, adding: “It was an indication that the Houthis smuggled weapons, military equipment as well as military experts from Iran in a manner arranged in advance.”
The Yemeni army and coalition forces have maintained control of the south, and have pursued the Houthi rebels through the Red Sea coast.
The Arab coalition followed the same strategy, prioritising the liberation of areas surround Hodeidah and Sanaa, where routes are used by the Houthi militia to transfer their goods.
The north, where Yemen shares more than a 1,000 kilometre border with Saudi Arabia, has been used as the source from which to boost its militants on the western coast front and on the fronts along the far north.
“Along the western coast front line, the Yemeni army launched in January 2017 an offensive to liberate the port of Mocha, which was the second fatal blow for the Houthi militia,” said Maj Gen Abdulrahman Al Rubaiee, a commander in the Yemeni forces.
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Read more:
'Scores' of Houthi commanders killed in Red Sea coast clashes
UN's new Yemen envoy holds talks in Washington
Forces loyal to Saleh clash with former Houthi allies
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Tariq Razzaz, an Aden-based journalist, said that the Houthis suffered a “great blow” when Yemeni army troops cut off the international route that links the country with Saudi Arabia.
“The second important route used by the Houthi militia to help its fighters in the Al Jawf province is the one that links Al Jawf with Sada. It was cut off in March 2018,” he said.
Most recently, the Yemeni army — backed by the Arab coalition — launched an offensive to cut the route that links Sanaa-Ibb with Taez.
"In case our forces cut the route that links Sanaa with Ibb and Taez, the Houthis will lose their control over the province because it is the last supply route they have,” said Col Al Baher. “They are going to be stabbed in the heart if this supply route is cut.”
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MANDOOB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Ali%20Kalthami%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Mohammed%20Dokhei%2C%20Sarah%20Taibah%2C%20Hajar%20Alshammari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
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LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris