JEDDAH: The Houthis have lost numerous foreign commanders involved in directing military operations and developing offensive capabilities, a senior Yemeni official said, as the group faces mounting battlefield losses and internal divisions.
Walid al-Qudaimi, Yemen's minister of state, told Asharq Al-Awsat that airstrikes and battlefield operations had killed key foreign commanders fighting alongside the Houthis, as well as senior Houthi figures whose deaths the group has yet to disclose.
He said airstrikes and fighting across several fronts had weakened the militia's military capabilities, inflicting heavy losses in personnel, leadership and equipment.
Foreign commanders involved in directing operations and launching missile and drone attacks on government-held areas and Saudi Arabia were among those hit, he added.
Despite efforts to develop weapons and military technology, the Houthis were facing mounting setbacks and internal disintegration, al-Qudaimi said.
He said tribal leaders, sheikhs and ordinary Yemenis were increasingly recognizing the militia's agenda and refusing to send their sons into battle amid heavy casualties and growing numbers of missing fighters whose fate remained undisclosed.
Al-Qudaimi said Yemeni forces were fighting under a unified command through the joint forces, adding that Operation Dawn of Yemen would continue with Saudi support and under the direct supervision of the chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council until its objectives were met.
