Battle of the Jabara Valley
Battle in the Yemeni Civil War
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The Battle of the Jabara Valley occurred between 26 and 29 August 2019, during the Second Yemeni Civil War. It was part of Operation Victory from God, a major Houthi-led offensive along the Saudi Arabian-Yemeni border.
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| Battle of the Jabara Valley | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation Victory from God | |||||||
Map of the battle Houthi forces Saudi-led forces | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Mohamed al-Atifi |
Radad al-Hashemi[2] (al-Fateh Brigade) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4,000[2] | 1,100–2,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown but less than 200 |
1,000–1,900 killed or captured, 100 escaped 200+ vehicles destroyed or captured[3][4] | ||||||
The battle
A Saudi Arabian auxiliary force of around 1,100 men from the al-Fateh Brigade launched an offensive into the Jabara Valley in Yemen's Saada Governorate against Houthi forces.[4] When the al-Fateh Brigade entered the valley, it was initially met with no resistance. A Houthi force then enveloped the Saudi-aligned force and besieged it for four days. Saudi air support was ineffective at breaking the envelopment, with sources reporting that the Saudis accidentally struck their own positions with airstrikes.[4][2] On 29 August 2019, a small breakout occurred with about 100 men from the pro-Saudi force escaping. The remaining thousand pro-Saudi troops capitulated, with approximately 1,000 to 2,000 killed or captured.[4] The battle was part of the initial phase of Operation Victory from God.[5]
Aftermath
Houthi sources reported that a Saudi airstrike killed several Yemeni prisoners of war captured during the battle.[3]
The Houthis continued their offensive during September 2019.[6]
Use of foreign weaponry by Saudis
NGOs from the EU have discovered Arms Exports to Saudi Arabia that had been used in Yemen, notably in the Jabara Valley.[7]