Tensions escalate among Saudi-backed commanders amid heavy battlefield losses

LAHJ, Nov.03 (YPA) –Tensions have escalated among Saudi-backed military commanders amid mutual accusations and mounting casualties among fighters on several front lines, according to field and political sources.

Adel al-Husseini, a southern political leader and head of the Peace Forum in Yemen, said Abu Zaraa al-Maharami, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the Al-Amaliqa Brigades, had withdrawn large numbers of his forces from the front lines and redeployed them to safer positions.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan forces, led by Abdulrahman al-Lahji, and the 22nd Force, recently deployed from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for its first combat operations, have suffered heavy losses, with large numbers of fighters reportedly killed or wounded, al-Husseini said

According to al-Husseini, the situation prompted al-Lahji to file an official complaint accusing al-Maharami of treason. Al-Lahji also warned that the military situation at Dhubab Airport had become extremely dangerous.

 The developments come amid longstanding rivalries among Saudi-backed commanders. Al-Maharami, previously aligned with the UAE, had earlier removed al-Lahji as commander of the Third Al-Amaliqa Brigade.

 Al-Lahji later moved to Medina, Saudi Arabia, before returning to Yemen to head the Dera al-Watan forces, replacing Bassam al-Mahdhar following a dispute between the two commanders.

Ideological and political differences have further deepened divisions among the factions. Observers say soldiers and ordinary Yemenis are bearing the brunt of the infighting and military setbacks, while the factions continue to serve the interests of Saudi Arabia and its allies.

@E.Y.M