Yemeni factions plan ground offensive against Houthis amid US strikes, officials say
Yemeni militias are reportedly planning to launch a ground offensive against the Houthis, following a large-scale US attack against the group, US and Yemeni officials say.
The ramped-up bombing campaign, which has killed at least 123 people since mid-March and compounded an already dire humanitarian situation in the country, has severely degraded the Houthi’s capabilities, the officials claimed.
Strikes have targeted Sanaa, the port city of Hodeidah and the Houthi stronghold of Saada, including densely populated areas.
US and Yemeni officials told the Wall Street Journal that Yemeni factions are planning to use the strikes on the Houthis as an opportunity to oust the group from some of their strongholds across the Red Sea coast.
The extent of damage inflicted on the Houthi's military capabilities remains unclear. Since war in Yemen began in 2014, Houthi fighters have fended off Saudi-led air strikes and ground operations by both Yemeni militias and ground forces from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other allied states.
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According to Yemeni officials, the plan involves the capture of the Red Sea Port of Hodeidah by local factions based in the country’s south, with the aim of pushing the Houthis back from large swathes of the coast from where they have been launching attacks on commercial cargo traffic in the Red Sea.
The capture of the port would also sever the group’s economic lifeline and bar them from accessing their main route to receive arms from Iran.
Reportedly, private American security contractors advised the factions on the potential offensive, while the United Arab Emirates raised the plan with US officials in recent weeks.
US officials said that while Washington is open to supporting the ground operation, it is not leading the talks for the offensive and has not yet decided to back it.
Senior Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said that the group were undeterred by the bombing campaign, and that a ground operation would also fail to stop them.
This comes as the US is reportedly considering options to wind down its air assault on Yemen, according to American officials.
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