SANAA – Unidentified gunmen assassinated, on Tuesday, the adviser to the Yemeni Minister of Defense in the city governorate in the center of the country, according to a government military source, indicating that the country has become ahead of more military escalation, especially as the Houthis adhere to the refusal to extend the international truce.
Without naming the authority involved in the operation, a military source claimed that “unknown gunmen assassinated Brigadier General Mohamed Al-Jaradi, the advisor to the Minister of Defense, with his driver in one of the roads between the city of Marib and the valley district.” However, the Houthis are typically blamed for carrying out these operations.
Al-Jaradi was killed after leaving his home while he was travelling to the city of Marib, the source continued, choosing not to give his name because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The Ma’rib oil province, where the Yemeni government and the Houthi group coexisted and engaged in combat for years, was under the control of both parties. The UN-sponsored ceasefire helped to lessen the fighting.
The failure of the warring parties in Yemen to extend the armistice that expired a month ago dashed hopes that they would reach a wider agreement that would ease economic hardships and prolong the relative calm after more than seven years of fighting. However, observers believe that the assassination was in retaliation for the efforts to extend the armistice and the pressure put on Yemen by Washington and the West to do so.
It was noted that the Houthis launched numerous military operations that had an impact on southern Yemeni regions after the truce ended with the intention of upsetting and embarrassing the international and regional powers hoping to maintain the relative stability and extend the truce.
It seems that the Houthis supported by Iran will increase the expansion of their attacks in the coming period, especially since the supportive country faces more pressure and sanctions due to the suppression of peaceful protests or the provision of Russia with drones for Ukraine or procrastination in the nuclear file.
After being bombed by the Houthis on Monday, an arms store explosion occurred in a camp in the governorate, resulting in four civilian deaths and three injuries.
Since the two-month cease-fire expired, the Houthis have continued to violate human rights, kill civilians, and target residential areas. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has accused the Houthi militia, which is supported by Iran, of war crimes.
The Houthis downplayed the significance of American actions, holding Washington accountable for the continuation of the crisis, while the United States sought to persuade various parties to extend the cease-fire. Last week, Washington decided to send its private envoy to Yemen, Tim Linding, to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
For more than 7 years, Yemen has been witnessing a continuous war between the forces loyal to the government backed by an Arab military alliance led by the Saudi neighbor, and the Houthis supported by Iran, who controlled several provinces, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 2014.
According to the UN, the Yemen war killed 377,000 people both directly and indirectly through the end of 2021.
the Marib assassination of the Yemeni Minister of Defense’s advisor
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