Newly recruited troops of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council are seen on a vehicle during their graduation in Aden, Yemen July 23, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman – RC1A52E65510
The Giants Brigades, one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) main proxies in Yemen, continue to advance in the province of Shabwah with direct support from the Saudi-led coalition.
The Yemeni group launched a large-scale operation, dubbed “Southern Storm,” to expel the Houthis (Ansar Allah) from the central-southern province in the beginning of the year.
On January 2, the Giants Brigades managed to capture the center of Usaylan district. On January 3 and 4, the group’s fighters advanced further in the district, capturing the mountain of Bin Aqil, the key town of al-Nuqub and several other areas.
The Giants Brigades managed to entered the district of Bayhan on January 5. On the same day, the group’s fighters seized the 163rd Infantry Brigade Camp.
On January 6, the group reached the al-Sa’di junction, cutting the Houthis main supply line between Bayhan and the district of Harib in the neighboring province of Ma’rib.
The Giants Brigades have been receiving close air support from Saudi-led coalition warplanes. Between January 5 and 6, coalition warplanes carried out 37 airstrikes on Houthi forces in Shabwah in support of Operation Southern Storm. According to the coalition’s claims, 190 Houthi fighters were killed and 24 military vehicles, including a rocket launcher, were destroyed.
#فيديو | #التحالف ينشر لقطات فيديو من عمليات استهداف ضد المليشيا في شبوة.#واس_عام pic.twitter.com/aCmkYaX8J8
— واس العام (@SPAregions) January 5, 2022
The advance in Shabwah didn’t come without a price. On January 4, the Houthis killed Colonel Samih Jarada, commander of the Giants’ 2nd Brigade, along with a number of his fighters. The group also shot down a Chinese-made CAIG Wing Loong II combat drone of the UAE Air Force over Usaylan on January 5.
Operation Southern Storm took the Houthis by surprise. The group will likely lose its positions in Shabwah if it fails to reorganize its forces there within a few days.
