Yemeni resistance fighters loyal to the government seized control of a mountain range in the northern province of Jawf, following fierce clashes with Iran-backed Al Houthis, army commanders told Gulf News on Monday. The liberation of Al Safina Mountain is the latest in a string of territorial gains by government forces in the large northern province. Abdullah Al Ashraf, a spokesperson for the Jawf resistance forces, said that resistance fighters allied to the Yemeni government, were able to expel Al Houthi militants from the mountain and neighbouring hills, bringing them a step closer to recapturing the district of Al Moton. The recent victories mean that the province's capital, Hazem, is out of range from Al Houthi shelling. Al Moton hosts a big market that supplies other districts with goods. Its liberation will help bring relief to Yemenis in other areas of Jawf. The dead body of an Al Houthi commander, Saeed Al Hawash, was found at the site of fighting on Al Safina mountain. Government forces have successfully recaptured many territories in the province of Jawf after it launched a massive military operation in December to roll back Al Houthi territorial gains in Yemen. The ultimate goal is to reach the capital and restore the legitimate government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. With the backing of a Saudi-led Arab coalition, Yemeni forces are closer than ever to achieving this goal. Currently, Hadi is overseeing the war effort in the southern port city of Aden which is designated as the temporary capital. In December, Yemeni forces liberated Hazem and moved on to the districts of Khab and Al Sha'af. Military analysts say that government forces advanced further into Al Houthi-controlled areas of the province and will soon surround the militants in their stronghold province, Saada. Elsewhere, heavy clashes erupted between tribesman loyal to the government and Al Houthi militants in the central province of Al Bayda. Local fighters told Al Masdar Online, a popular independent news site, that four militants were killed in clashes in the mountainous Gayfa region as the coalition's warplanes heavily pounded a military base on Ehram Mountain and checkpoints manned by the rebels in Rada city. The same news site reported on Sunday that Al Houthis fired a ballistic missile from Al Sahoul valley in the province of Ibb. Residents said that they heard the rocket's thunderous roar in the early hours of Sunday. In the southern city of Aden, two members of one family were killed and two others were injured on Monday when their car drove over a landmine planted by Al Houthi militants during their occupation of the city last year. In southern-eastern province of Hadramout, security forces said on Monday that army soldiers outside Shibam city arrested a man who was driving a car laden with explosive materials. A security officer told Gulf News that the suspected suicide bomber was heading to Seiyun, the second most important city in Hadramout.
