Saudi forces foiled attacks by the Houthis on the kingdom's territory. The Saudi Arabian Air Force bombed sites in the camp of Kahlan bombed more than 20 rockets sites in al-Mughram district of Baqem border, and raided the mountains of Awadi and Rasha district Kattaf Directorate , In addition to a series of raids on the border alarm.
Yemeni army’s chief of staff said on Wednesday that victory over Houthi and Saleh militias is “is closer than ever”. Maj. Gen. Taher Ali al-Auqaili, who was appointed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi as the army’s chief of staff earlier this month, made the declaration while addressing a major military parade held in Marib to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the 26th September Revolution.
Auqaili also extended a message of appreciation toward the leadership and people of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Alliance “who responded to the appeal of Yemenis in brotherly harmony as a great historic turning point in the march of Arab alignment”.
The chief of staff pointed out that the Houthi militias and fighters loyal to former ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh have established themselves as tools Iran’s expansion project for region influence. “The crimes of the coup plotters have gone beyond spreading ruin, chaos and killing to deny the human values and turn Yemen into a playground for Iran and its expansionist ambitions at the expense of the identity and interests of the Yemeni people,” Auqaili said.
On humanitarian side, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) and the Saudi Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Gulf Coordination Council to support Yemen, have been discussing the allocation of 1,000 treatment grants for Yemeni citizens abroad, said an official in the Yemeni Ministry of Public Health.
Medical Attache of Yemen Embassy in Riyadh Dr. Mohammed al-Saadi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the three parties have been discussing implementing this project in countries such as India, where the country would be responsible to treat Yemeni residents.
“Kuwait has approved the treatment of 200 cases, Saudi Arabia is expected to take care of 400 cases and the rest of the countries are on the final stages of the adoption of these grants.”
In this context, Saadi said that Saudi Arabia allocates 100 annual treatment grants for Yemenis in Saudi hospitals in accordance with the signed protocol between the two countries’ health ministries.
“These grants were used during the period from January until July, 2017 due to the existing pressure as the Yemeni side specifies the cases according to the agreed upon criteria,” Saadi added, pointing out that the targeted cases are heart conditions, congenital malformations and chronic diseases that require major operations that are not made in Yemen.
The medical attache noted that Minister of Health Dr. Nasser Baoum is personally following the process of facilitating the entry of these cases and providing all means of support to them in order to ensure that they receive appropriate treatment without delay.