The National Resistance on Yemen’s western coast announced Sunday that more than 500 of its members had been killed and around 1,500 others wounded in battles against the Houthis between August 9 and September 10. It said it had redeployed and equipped its forces along new defensive lines to avoid encirclement and preserve its capabilities.
Fighting covered fronts along the western coast
The forces led by Tareq Saleh, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said the clashes began with intense missile bombardment and attacks by suicide drones and booby-trapped boats, before escalating in recent weeks. They added that they had confronted a large-scale Houthi offensive for about three weeks across fronts stretching from Hays to al-Kadha, from Maqbana to al-Barh, and along the contact lines.
In its statement, the National Resistance accused members and experts from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional allies of directly participating in and supporting the attack. It said the operation had been planned in advance to exploit the terrain, establish fire control over some highlands and attempt to encircle its forces. The accusations were made by the resistance, without a response from the parties accused.
Redeployment aims to prevent the forces’ encirclement
It said the decision to move to new defensive lines came amid intense fire and the continued arrival of reinforcements, with the aim of protecting its forces and preventing their encirclement and destruction. It affirmed that it would continue its military activities within the armed forces, saying that restoring the state requires the fronts to operate in coordination and move simultaneously.
The statement said Saudi Arabia provided support to the resistance forces during the battles, alongside the participation of the Giants Brigades, the Nation’s Shield forces and tribal volunteers. The resistance also said it did not accuse any party of treason or hold any side responsible beyond what it said the facts on the ground had established, calling for the clashes to be assessed and plans reorganized for the next stages.
