Saudi air strikes break up Yemeni Houthi advance on Aden
After three nights of Saudi air action, DEBKAfile’s military sources report that Yemeni forces allied with the Houthi rebels advancing on the important port of Aden have been scattered and are on the run. But the Iran-backed rebels are still pushing along the country’s Red Sea coast, knocking over villages as they move, and down to the east on the Indian Ocean coast. Last week’s reports of the fall of Taiz to rebel forces prove premature; they are still positioned outside the town. Sunday, day four of its Yemen operation, the Saudi air force wound up an intense effort to wipe out Houthi-controlled Yemeni Air Force aircraft and missile stores, including R 17E (Scud-Brown) and SS-21 (Tochka) ground to ground missiles. Saudi air strikes are now driving in at low altitudes without fear of missile fire.