ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

AFP Photo/FAYEZ NURELDINE On January 19, forces loyal to Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi backed and the Saudi-led coalition captured Ba’arf Mount in Nati’ district of the central province of al-Bayda, according to the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV. Saudi-led coalition warplanes supported the pro-Hadi forces attack and destroyed several positions of the Houthis in the province. Al-Arabiya said that several fighters of the Houthis were killed in the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes including a high rank commander “Abu Sam al-Kahlani”. Yemeni sources also reported that pro-Hadi forces ambushed a group of the Houthis in Sawma’ah district of al-Bayda. Two fighters of the Houthis were reportedly killed in the ambush. From its side, the Yemeni al-Masirah TV claimed that the Houthis repelled two attacks of pro-Hadi forces in the districts of Masra’ and Nati’. The Houthis killed several fighters and of pro-Hadi forces including a commander “Saleh al-Duribi” while repe

File photo: AFP On January 19, ISIS fighters ambushed a vehicle of the Egyptian Army south of the city of Rafah in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, according to the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq. The outlet added  that ISIS fighters were able to capture the vehicle and kill a contractor of the Egyptian Army in the ambush. Moreover, Amaq reported that ISIS fighters destroyed another vehicle of the Egyptian Army with an IED in al-Dakasat area west of the city of Sheikh Zuweid in the norther part of the Sinai Peninsula. Meanwhile, the UK-based newspaper al-Araby al-Jadeed revealed that the Egyptian Army began massing its troops around the city of Rafah in order to launch a wide-scale military operation against ISIS cells operating south and west of it. The upcoming military operation of the Egyptian Army is expected to be the biggest yet against the terrorist group in the Sinai Peninsula and will target the main hideouts of the terrorist group inside and around Rafah,