Yemen's Al Jawf City Becomes Key Battleground in War Between Houthis and Saudi-Backed Government Forces

Yemen's Al Jawf city has become the new center of the war between the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni army. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a major counter-offensive to liberate the strategic heights east of Al-Hazm from the Houthi occupation. These operations are part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, which the government launched last month. The aim is to retake the areas occupied by the Houthis and restore government control in the country. Al-Hazm has become an important center of this operation. The city can serve as a potential'launchpad'for government forces against the Houthis. The Houthis have occupied the capital Sana'a and most of northern Yemen since the war began in September 2014. During the 12-year war in Yemen, the Houthis have changed control of Al-Hazm several times. In March 2020, the Houthis captured the city from the Saudi province of Amara, the oil-rich province of Hama, and Sana'a-Sadr, which is considered to be the most important of its five provinces.