Military sources in the city of Mokha in west Yemen said that the Arab coalition forces destroyed at dawn on Saturday, a booby-trapped boat of the Houthi militia targeting Al-Mokha port. The source said that the failed attack occurred at three in the morning as a boat was directed towards ships anchored in the port. The boat was destroyed before reaching the target.
The Houthi militia recently used marine bombs to target ships and harbors. They also planted naval booby-traps in an attempt to stop navigation and target ships on the coasts of the Red Sea.
Yemen’s interior ministry announced on Friday foiling a number of plots targeting several liberated cities. Most of the attacks were aimed at undermining the internationally-recognized government’s interests.
Terror rings were arrested in each of Shabwa, Hadhramaut and the interim capital Aden, said interior minister Major General Hussein Arab. Such plotting is believed to be spurred by vengeance against the constitutionally elected government, which recently announced holding the first parliamentary session after securing necessary quorum and representation for all national blocs.
Some of the terrorist cells were found affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and others supported by coup-run Sana’a. In press statements as Maj. Gen. Hussein Arab said some of these groups receive direct support from Tehran.
He also said that these rings are involved with smuggling of drugs to a number of neighboring countries, and ransom-driven kidnaps. The Yemeni interior minister also pointed out that “great cooperation runs between the pro-government forces and the Saudi-led Arab coalition,” and said that it played a great role in arresting those terror groups.
Exchange of intelligence and co-led operations were some of the few collaborations among the two forces which helped in neutralizing many threats and fortifying stability. “Arrested cells in Shabwa, Hadhramaut and the interim capital of Aden was preceded by full coordination and joint action,” said Maj.Gen. Arab. He also stressed the importance of continuing this cooperation in order to block these groups.
Maj.Gen. Arab said that all the cells working to undermine legitimacy forces, are driven by a mixture of “Al-Qaeda and ISIS” ideologies, and others follow Tehran’s agenda aiming to destabilize the region by spurring acts of sabotage.
Yemen’s security services work in coordination with all concerned parties and intelligence agencies in neighboring countries, Maj.Gen. Arab said. “These operations are considered a security achievement and a painful blow to extremist groups, which are now aware that the security services are tightening their grip, unlike pastimes.”