The National Resistance's military information director, Abd al-Nasser al-Mamlouh, revealed critical details preceding the recent breach in the Al-Kadha sector of the Al-Brah axis in western Taiz. He stated that the National Resistance leadership had warned both the Ministry of Defense and the Taiz axis command of significant military vulnerabilities since 2022, yet necessary measures to address them were not completed.
Al-Mamlouh explained in a published article that Al-Kadha was a primary focus of the recent Houthi offensive on the western coast. He asserted that a military vacuum between the National Resistance's deployment zones and the operational theater of the Taiz axis created a weakness exploited by the Houthi group during recent battles. According to al-Mamlouh, the National Resistance leadership began treating the Al-Kadha sector as sensitive in early 2022, conducting offensive operations that reached areas in front of the Ghabbari mountains, concurrently establishing defensive fortifications within their operational zones.
He noted that these fortifications were insufficient to fully secure the sector due to a gap in areas situated between the National Resistance's operational theater and the Taiz axis's operational theater, particularly in the mountains and hills south of Al-Kadha overlooking Al-Wazi'iyah. Al-Mamlouh added that the command of the Al-Brah axis raised these concerns during a visit by former Minister of Defense Mohammad al-Maqdashi to the western coast, recommending reinforcement of these positions with adequate forces. Similar demands were reiterated during the visit of former Minister of Defense Mohsen Al-Daeiri.
Al-Mamlouh's account detailed proposals that included deploying additional forces from the Taiz axis to secure positions identified as vulnerabilities by the Al-Brah axis command, or allowing the National Resistance to undertake their security, as they fell within the Taiz axis's operational scope. He highlighted meetings between the leaderships of the Taiz and Al-Brah axes, during which troop deployment maps and Houthi positions were reviewed, and areas deemed critical weak points by the National Resistance were re-identified. The Al-Brah axis command had proposed, in addition to reinforcing existing positions, deploying two brigades from the Taiz axis to the mountains and hills overlooking Al-Wazi'iyah, but these arrangements were not implemented.
The National Resistance also did not receive approval to fill the void themselves, leaving the areas previously warned about by the Al-Brah axis command without the requested military deployment. Al-Mamlouh linked these warnings to the offensive launched by the Houthi militia on the western coast fronts in early August, stating that Houthi forces managed to seize positions belonging to the Taiz axis in the Al-Kadha sector during the initial escalation. These were precisely the positions identified by the Al-Brah axis command as posing a risk to the rest of the front. The fall of these positions exposed the right flank of the Al-Kadha sector to Houthi forces, compelling the National Resistance to send reinforcements to plug the gap, while the attacking forces continued to exploit the unsecured mountainous areas and advance towards the valleys and hills overlooking Al-Wazi'iyah.
Al-Mamlouh believes this breach was not isolated from the troop distribution between the Taiz and Al-Brah axes but resulted from a vulnerability previously warned against by the National Resistance leadership in prior years. He also addressed the situation in the Al-Wazi'iyah countryside, noting that the Houthi advance in geographical areas overlooking the directorate coincided with the activity of local cells accused of ties to Ahmed Salem Haider. He further accused elements aligned with the legitimacy of launching media campaigns against the security forces of the western coast and the National Resistance. Al-Mamlouh reviewed the sacrifices made by the National Resistance during the battles of Al-Kadha and Al-Brah, mentioning the loss of hundreds of fighters and the injury of thousands more, including Brigadier General Mohammad Maqsaa, commander of the 34th Armored Brigade, and Brigadier General Ali Abdullah Naji Abu Hidal, along with other leaders.
