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On November 11, forces of the Saudi-UAE-led coalition continued their push to capture the Yemeni city of al-Hudaydah from the Ansar Allah movement (also known as the Houthis). The current phase of the coalition forces advance is pursuing two main goals:
- to encircle the city of al-Hudaydah;
- to isolate the al-Hudaydah airport from the rest of the city;
If these goals are achieved, the coalition will be able to isolate two main resistance points of Ansar Allah and its allies in western Yemen from the rest of the Ansar Allah-controlled part of Yemen. Then, the coalition will be able to start storming the city itself engaging Ansar Allah forces by all existing means and mearues, including warplanes.
In turn, Ansar Allah is working to prevent the encirclement of al-Hudaydah. The most intense clashes are currently ongoing east of the city. At the same time, the Yemeni movement carried a successfull attack on supply lines of the coalition forces south of al-Hudaydah.
Pro-Ansar Allah sources report about hundreds of casualties among coalition forces. The videos showing clashes iin western Yemen confirm at least a part of their claims. According to the coalition’s version of the events, Ansar Allah also lost hundreds of its fighters as a result of coalition attacks and Saudi Air Force airstrikes.
The ongoing battle for al-Hudaydah may become a turning point for the Saudi-UAE-led intervention in Yemen. If the coalition captures the city, it will increase its chances to take an upper hand in the conflict. However, if Ansar Allah defends the city, it will once again show that the coalition has little chances to achieve all of its goals in the country by military means.
