Saturday 3 April 2021

DRONES OVER RIYADH, AS THE HOUTHIS PUSH TOWARDS MARIB

02.04.2021 

Yemen’s Ansar Allah are unrelenting in their fight against the Saudi-led coalition.

The fighting in Yemen shows no promise of stopping anytime soon, and in many locations it is a constant swing of back and forth.

On April 1st, Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis) claimed that they had launched 4 suicide drones aimed at “sensitive and important” sites in the Saudi capital – Riyadh.

Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen Yahya Sari said that the operation had been successful, all targets had been struck and no other details were provided.

Not all such raids result in success, as a video was shared of a Saudi F-15 shooting down a Houthi Qasef-2K drone.

A few days earlier, 18 drones and eight missiles of Ansar Allah attacked targets in Ras Tanura, Rabigh, Yanbu and Jizan, ‘Asir, Najran as well as Kind Abdulaziz Air Base. This was their way of commemorating 6 years of war with the Kingdom.

On the other side, Riyadh carried out at least 15 airstrikes on various targets where the Houthi forces are currently concentrated. The Saudis were also behind at least 175 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah.

On the ground, clashes continue in the Yemeni Madghal and Hayfan districts. On March 31st, the Houthis captured Idat al-Raa, Dash al-Haqn and Hamat al-Diyab west of Marib.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, the Damascus government continues its operations to contain ISIS in the Syrian central region.

On April 1st, the Syrian Arab Army kicked off a large-scale combing operation in the southern and western Deir Ezzor countryside.

The Government forces are combing the outskirts of the town of al-Mayadin, from the area of al-Banja all the way to the area of Fayda Ibn Moin’a. They are being supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces.

On March 31st, Damascus deployed large reinforcements in Deir Ezzor to counter ISIS cells in the governorate, mainly near the border with Iraq.

In the same vein of containing ISIS, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are continuing their operation in the al-Hawl camp.

The SDF didn’t share the total number of suspects who were arrested on the fifth day. However, it announced that an Algerian leader of ISIS was apprehended. Muhammad Abdul Rahman Sharif Dabakh, was the ISIS military commander in the town of al-Shadadi in southern al-Hasakah.

On the fourth day of the operation, the SDF arrested more than 70 ISIS members. The total number of arrests as a result of the operation likely nears 150, or even more.

The containment of ISIS in Central Syria appears to be going well, and the Damascus government and Russian support appear to be carrying out a successful operation.

On the other hand, it is not exactly clear what is happening to the ISIS cell members being arrested by the SDF, as reports of them being extracted by US helicopters are not that uncommon.


River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
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