As Peace Talks Continue, Tensions on Yemen's Frontlines Widen
DPA
Government forces foiled on Tuesday an attempted advance by the Houthi fighters on the fronts to the west of Taiz province, one day after the departure of the Houthi reinforcements from Ibb toward Taiz frontlines, government sources said on Wednesday.
The state-run Saba News Agecny said the Joint Forces prevented the Houthi group from taking over more sites in Taiz. The agency quoted a military source saying, "Reconnaissance units in the Al-Barah Axis monitored movements of the Houthis and their attempts to establish positions in high areas close to the contact lines in the Al-Kadha sector, and they were dealt with firmly."
The Houthi group has lately deployed forces to three provinces: Al-Hudaydah, Marib and Taiz. This deployment of forces comes as part of their preparation for war in line with the rising regional tensions that ensued from the Gaza-Israel conflict, which broke out on October 7.
While Yemen has seen a military calm since last year, the recent Houthi involvement in the Gaza-Israel war can have consequences on the peace process and plunge Yemen anew into a cycle of violence.
On Tuesday, the Houthi movement chief Abdulmalek Al-Houthi said the United States obstructed a peace agreement between his groupand the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, revealing that the Americans threatened that the war in Yemen would return because of the Houthi involvement in the Gaza-Israel war.
The Houthis have not only attacked Israel, but they also targeted American military assets in the region. On November 8, the Houthi military spokesperson said they shot down an American MQ-9 drone while "conducting hostile acts of surveillance and reconnaissance in the airspace of the territorial waters of Yemen and as part of U.S. military support for the Israeli entity."
So far, the U.S. has not retaliated against the Houthi group. In a press briefing yesterday, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singhsaid the lack of an American response to the Houthi acts is inviting more aggressive actions from the group. She added, "I'm not saying that we're not going to respond. We always reserve the right to respond at a time and place of our choosing."
Despite the military movements on the ground in Yemen and the continued deployment of Houthi forces in some provinces, media reports said a Saudi-sponsored agreement between the Houthi group and the Yemeni government will be declared soon.
As per the agreement, Saudi Arabia will pay the salaries of all public employees in Houthi-controlled areas according to the 2014 payroll. The other point of the deal is that the oil and gas export will resume, and the oil and gas revenues will go to the government. The government will be responsible for paying the salaries of employees in provinces under its control. Moreover, roads, ports, and airports will be reopened, and a complete prisoner swap will be achieved. All these arrangements will lead to the second stage of the agreement, which is the transitional period and the formation of a joint government.
