Yemen’s Operation ‘Firm Structure’: 1500 Militants Killed, 1830 Injured, Hundreds Detained

Translated by Staff

Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Yehya Saree held a press conference to announce details of the Operation ‘Firm Structure’ noting the operating started with confronting the Saudi-led aggression’s escalation.

Saree explained that Nihm witnessed military operations by the aggression forces, which pushed our forces to deal seriously with this threat.

In light of the success in the operation, the Yemeni forces went forward in their counter offensive along the operations field, Saree added.

“The main goal of the ‘Firm Structure’ operation was to deter the enemy forces and expel them out of the region, eventually securing the area entirely."

Operation ‘Firm Structure’, Saree said, aimed at thwarting the offensive against our forces and advance towards the areas close to the capital Sanaa.

According the Yemeni Armed Forces intelligence, the enemy has been preparing for this operation since months ago, with the aim to reach the nearest area linked to Sanaa.

The enemy forces in Nihm were composed of 17 brigades, and a number of battalions that was supplied with different kinds of weapons, the statement added.

“An entire military zone of the enemy used Nihm as its platform,” Saree said, adding that Special Forces of the countries of the coalition of aggression were in charge of fire and intelligence support of the mercenaries force in Nihm.

Nihm is a mountainous area with complicated topography, Saree said, a matter that pushed the Yemeni Armed Forces to deploy Special Forces in the first days of the battle.

After the successful confrontation of the enemy forces’ offensive, the Yemeni Forces started a military offensive that was based on the collapse of the enemy’s forefronts, allowing our forces to advance towards the strategic heights, Saree added.

The Yemeni Forces, he added, succeeded in the operational duties in the first hours of the operation, before which the command ordered surrounding the enemy forces from different eastern and western tracks.

In the first three days of the operation, Saree explained, the Yemeni armed Forces secured most of the Nihm area, which include all of strategic sites.

The offensive was from the all four main sides and all branches which resulted in different tracks.

The Yemeni forces were keen to surround the enemy forces inclusively while opening other tracks to allow the most possible number of mercenaries flee the place.

Saree went on to say that the Yemeni Armed Forces made military pressure on all enemy’s sites and camps to force them to surrender.

At the same time, the Yemeni Armed Forces were keen on the Yemenis’ lives at the enemy’s sites, namely those who showed readiness to flee the battlefield.

They also succeeded in dealing with the enemy’s forces in clashes and direct fighting after giving them the chance to flee.

“With the defeat of the enemy forces, the Yemeni Armed Forces continued to advance beyond Nihm,” Saree stated.

As the Yemeni Forces were keen to save lives of the mercenaries, thousands of them were able to flee the battlefield in the first days.

The enemy’s warplanes, meanwhile, waged more than 250 strikes against the Yemeni Forces.

Elaborating on the Aerial Defense Units’ role in the Operation ‘Firm Structure’, Saree said the Fatir-1 missile system played a crucial role in confusing the warplanes and preventing them from launching airstrikes.

He further noted than the Aerial Defense system carried out more than 25 operations forcing the enemy’s aircrafts to leave the area.

“The command’s instructions were clear to strike Saudi facilities and military bases in response to the airstrikes.”

He also explained that the Rocketry Force and the Propelled Ai Force targeted many airports the enemy uses for military purposes, while the missile and aerial strikes targeted airports in Najran and Jizan in addition to targeting the Khamis Mushait base with a number of missiles.

Their first operations, he noted, only represented a warning, but the continuity of air bombing led to targeting an economic target of Aramco Company, in addition to two sensitive targets in the enemy’s depth. Saree also noted that the aforementioned forces played a crucial role reflecting the command’s instructions related to the deterrence strategy.

In further details, he said they carried out more than 41 inside and outside operations between January 25th and 30th. As part of their role, the Rocketry Force and the Propelled Air Force carried out 26 operations targeting the airports of Abha, Jizan and Najran. They also targeted Khamis Mushait base, Aramco Company and sensitive sites in the Saudi depth.

Saree noted that the Operation ‘Firm Structure’ led to a major defeat in the enemy’s lines, while hundreds of the mercenaries fled the area.

The major achievement of the Yemeni Armed Forces was securing Nihm in the first days of the operation. Saree also stated that the Yemeni forces reached al-Jawf and advanced inside al-Jawf Province, clashing with the forces that were in the same area.

The Yemeni Armed Forces, meanwhile, started another offensive in al-Jawf to liberate the provinces of al-Jawf and Ma’rib. Saree told the press conference that the liberation of those two provinces, in addition to Nihm, occupied an area of 25002 kilometers.

Relatively, Saree hailed the patriotic stance of the tribesmen, which mainly contributed to the liberation of many areas located in the field of the operation.

“The Al-Hazm Directorate, which includes the capital of al-Jawf was an area of confrontation, as well as some parts of the directorates of Ghayl and Madghal in Ma’rib,” Saree said.

The Operation ‘Firm Structure’ boosted our forces in their forefronts close to Ma’rib, Saree said, adding that more than 3500 members were either killed, injured or detained. He made clear that the bodies of 1500 killed militants are still in the operations’ field.

According to Saree, 1830 of them were injured, in addition to hundreds of others who were detained.

He concluded his conference as saying that due to the big number of those killed, the command ordered the formation of humanitarian committees whose role is to document details about all bodies.