Survival of Yemen’s Defense Minister and Chief of Staff during Houthi attack

Yemeni Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daari and Army Chief of Staff Sagheer bin Aziz survived an attack launched by the Houthi militia on Saturday with a drone targeting their convoy in the Al- Kadha, south of Taiz city.

Military sources said the Houthi-led attack killed one soldier and wounded three others, according to preliminary statistics.

The sources confirmed that the Defense Minister, the Chief of Staff, the Governor of Taiz, and those with them, survived the attack, which set fire to one of the auto.

The convoy came from the city of Al-Mokha on the west coast of Taiz Governorate towards the city of Taiz, which had been under siege by the Houthi militia for nine years.

The attack on the defense minister’s convoy coincided with another Houthi militia airstrike that targeted government force positions in western Taiz city and the Taiz governorate’s temporary headquarters in the city centre, as well as the bombing of residential districts.

On Friday evening, a joint military meeting in the city of Mocha discussed the appropriate means of dealing with the military escalation of the Houthi militia and coordination between the various fronts.

The meeting was chaired by Tariq Saleh, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, and included the Minister of Defence, the governors of Taiz and Hodeidah, the Chief of Staff, the commanders of the Taiz aces, Al-Barah, Al-Hodeidah, and a coalition delegation.

The official Yemeni news agency said the meeting discussed the formulation of practical measures to improve and increase the efficiency of coordination between the various fronts to deal with the escalation of the Houthi militia.

The meeting affirmed “comprehensive preparations, preparation of forces and their preparation according to a unified and integrated plan, in so that they are fully prepared for the next stage, to translate any options that will be taken as practical indications emerge of a Houthi escalation that would completely undermine truce efforts.”

The Houthi terrorist militia has stepped up its threats to resume the war through statements by its leaders and movements on the ground in recent days.