Sanaa, Taiz – Asharq Al-Awsat

Dozens of Houthi militants were killed on the fronts of the West Coast after the death of one of their most prominent field commanders during an airstrike by the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy.

This coincided with the continuous losses Houthis have suffered on Saada fronts, where government forces are close to taking control of Baqam center and liberating the group’s first stronghold in the area of Maran.

Giants Brigades (Amaleqa Brigades), backed by the Arab Coalition, were able on Friday to liberate a number of farms east of al-Tahita and west of Zabid, according to official Yemeni army sources. The Houthi militias suffered heavy losses in lives, equipment and military vehicles.

A statement from the Brigades said that forces affiliated with them carried out combing operations in a large number of farms adjacent to the area of al-Hali, where Houthi militants were located.

The statement added that during the operation, army forces found a large cache of mortar shells and other shells that the Houthis had hidden.

On Thursday, Houthis shelled citizens' homes in liberated Tahita, south Hodeidah, and a sniper injured an eight-year-old girl named Fatima Ismail.

The girl, who was playing next to her house at that moment, was rushed to the local hospital for treatment, where she underwent a surgery to extract the bullet from her body, according to military sources.

These developments came a day after the Iran-backed group received one of the harshest strikes by the Arab Coalition in Kilo 16 region, at the eastern entrance of Hodeidah.

Yemeni military sources indicated that the air strike killed a prominent Houthi leader Zakariya Yahya Ahmed Mutahar Sharafeddine, dubbed Abu Yahya, in addition to 15 of his companions. Abu Yahya, along with his companions, were trying to disrupt military operations carried out by Giants Brigades.

The Houthi leader received his training from Iranian militias and had a number of military honors, including the Medal of “Hussein.” He was also awarded the first place in the Institute of Hadi in the Iranian city of Qom.

Meanwhile, field Yemeni army sources reported that over 100 Houthi militants were killed and dozens injured over the past two days during battles, combing operations and airstrikes in al-Durahmi, al-Hali, al-Tahita, and Zubaid.

Yemeni military sources on Saada fronts reported that clashes intensified between the army forces and militants in the vicinity of Baqam. The sources pointed out that the army forces on Alab axis continued to advance on Friday closing in on rebels in center of Baqam, from al-Adaida Mountain to Ramdan Mountain.