Yemeni gov't reportedly preparing 80,000 man assault on Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port

Yemen's government is reportedly preparing to launch a massive assault to recapture Hodeidah Port in western Yemen from the Houthis, according to a Friday report in Emirati state media. Yemen's internationally recognized government is preparing to mass nearly 80,000 troops for what would be the largest offensive of the civil war, according to statements by Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center based in Saudi Arabia, on Friday.

"To my best knowledge, there is a preparation of almost 80,000 soldiers from the legitimate Yemeni government in different locations in order to take over [Hodeidah]," Dr. Sager said. 80,000 soldiers would represent a majority of all non-Houthi forces in Yemen. This would constitute the largest offensive of the civil war and would also set the stage for an assault on the capital city Sana'a, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.

Emirati state newspaper, The National, reported on Friday that renewed airstrikes on the Houthis generally, but in particular on Hodeidah, had helped pave the way for an upcoming assault, with reports indicating that strikes had killed several key Houthis. Hodeidah is considered one of Yemen's key ports and was a major source of food imports before the war. Dr. Sager pointed to the meeting between US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla and the Chief of Staff of the Yemeni Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Sagheer Hamoud Ahmed Aziz in Saudi Arabia last week. Kurilla visited several Middle Eastern countries in the first week of April, including Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.  (Read More)