Yemen: The military parade organized by the Sana’a forces in the city of Hodeidah was not an ordinary one. Rather, it came loaded with messages and indications, both after merging the “popular Committees” with the army, or in terms of equipment in light of the discovery of new military capabilities that were not previously available to the Yemeni forces.

It is certain that this offer, with its strategic location, special timing and qualitative events, will have an impact on the Saudi-Emirati alliance and its sponsors, and even with Israel.

Contrary to what the Saudi-Emirati alliance expected, Sanaa's forces did not relent during the humanitarian truce, which was extended three times and entered its sixth month. Rather, these forces were able, during the mentioned period, to develop their skills and enhance their defensive capabilities with modern weapons that were lacking in the past years.

This was clearly evident in the successive military parades organized by the Ministry of Defense in the Salvation Government, the military leaders in the central region and the fourth, fifth and sixth regions, the presidential reserve and protection brigades, and a number of battalions and formations, for the batches graduating from specific military courses, whether in the capital Sana’a or the governorates of Hajjah and Dhamar and Amran, since mid-May.

However, the last show in the city of Hodeidah, which is considered the largest since the start of the war, seemed different and loaded with multiple messages to the "coalition" and its international sponsors, as well as the Israeli enemy.

More than 25,000 soldiers and officers from the Fifth Military region, the Navy, the Victory Brigades, the Air Force and the Air Defense participated in it, to confirm their full readiness for any potential confrontation on the coast of Hodeidah or the rest of the areas of the west coast, which were restored late last year.

In addition to the large number of participants, the show had multiple military connotations, as it took place in a strategic city on the Red Sea, and during which it revealed a leap in the military capabilities of Sanaa, at a time when the "coalition" failed to integrate the militias loyal to it in the southern governorates.

Commenting on the parade, the leader of Ansarullah, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, explained that this event comes in the wake of the completion of the integration of the "popular committees" of the movement within the framework of the army forces affiliated with the Ministry of Defense.

He pointed out that the military parades that began since the entry into force of the UN-sponsored truce in a number of military regions were "presented by the graduating batches of army personnel, while there are tens of thousands of affiliates stationed on all battle frontlines."

The head of the Supreme Political Council in Sana’a, Mahdi Al-Mashat, for his part, stressed during his speech on the occasion that “Sana’a’s control over Hodeidah and its coasts has, over the past years, represented a safety valve for the international navigation movement,” considering that “the actions of the aggression countries against the navigation movement in the Red Sea, and targeting the Yemeni forces along the western coast is what poses a danger.”

He also stressed that "Sana'a has recently developed its naval and land weapons, and it can hit its target by land and sea at any point in the Red Sea, even Bab al-Mandab."

This came in the wake of the participating naval forces reviewing strategic weapons, some of which are entering the battle for the first time, such as the “Mandeb 1” missiles developed from “Cruise”, the “Mandeb 2” equipped with advanced devices, and the locally manufactured “Falaq 1”missile, as well as the Russian-made Rubij missile.

Falaq 1 can target any point in the Red Sea or the Arabian Sea with high accuracy

The spokesman for the Sana'a forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, explained that the "Falaq 1" can target any point in the Red Sea or the Arabian Sea with high accuracy, stressing that "there are big surprises that will be announced in the coming days." He pointed out that "the army forces did not close their eyes during the truce period, but were ready to repel any aggression."

Regarding the appearance of a number of Russian missile systems on the parade, a military source in Sanaa said, in an interview with Al-Akhbar, that the Sana’a forces were recently able to return the Russian missile system. It is classified as a tactical coastal missile category, and is characterized by its ability to provide great firepower in the face of enemy ships, as well as moving quickly in a way that contributes to enhancing the possibility of concealment and maneuvering before and after firing operations.

The source estimates the range of these missiles at 260 kilometers, knowing that they can launch toward sea targets at a speed of Mach 0.85, or more than 1,000 kilometers per hour.

With regard to the SAM-7 missiles, he points out that they are distinguished by their ability to hide from enemy radars, the speed of confronting enemy aircraft and the accuracy of targeting them in a few seconds. He considered that the Yemeni Air Defense Forces will enable Sanaa to restore the Russian system that underwent a dismantling process during the pre-war period, under American supervision, "a great success will contribute to neutralizing the aggression's aircraft."
 
Source: Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper translated by Almasirah English website

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