Sanaa may fall without fighting: Yemeni general

Iranian-backed rebel stronghold Sanaa may fall to the Arab coalition and their allies the national army and resistance without fighting, a Yemeni army general has said.

Brigadier Samir Al Haj, military adviser to the Yemeni army chief of staff, said the legitimate army and resistance now control more than 70 per cent of Yemen and that many rebel areas were falling to the resistance one after another.

He acknowledged that the battle for the liberation of the Southwestern Taiz governorate has dragged on because of its difficult geographical nature but added that the offensive would not stop until the entire province is liberated from the coup insurgents.

“Regarding Sanaa, I believe that when the coalition, the army and popular resistance advance close to it, there will be dramatic changes in the scene and this could lead to its fall without the need for a military offensive,” he told the Saudi daily ‘Okaz’.

“I think the tribes in Sanaa will play a major role in its fall. Most of them are waiting for the time when they get rid of these militias.”

Al Haj said the legitimate army is capable of imposing its control over all liberated areas through the integration of the resistance fighters into the army and police. He said this would prevent the emergence of “warlords” in Yemen.

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