Operation Victory from God

Operation Victory from God
Part of the Saudi Arabian–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present), the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present), and the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen

Map of the operation's last stage
  Houthi forces
  Saudi-led forces
Date25 August – late September 2019
Location
Saudi Arabia–Yemen border
Result

Houthi victory

  • Saudi incursion repelled
Belligerents

 Yemen
(Supreme Political Council)

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia

  • Allied Yemeni tribal forces loyal to the Hadi government
Commanders and leaders
Mohammad Nasser al Atefi[2]
(Supreme Political Council defense minister)		 Brig. Gen. Musa Bin Dhaher Al-Balawi[3]
(joint operations commander)
Radad al-Hashemi[4]
(Al-Fateh Brigade)
Units involved
Houthi fighters[2]
Popular Committees[1]
Drone, missile and air defence units[5][6]

Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian National Guard[2]
Al-Fateh Brigade[2]
Strength
Several infantry, armored, and missile battalions[2]
(thousands of fighters)		 at least 3 brigades
Casualties and losses
unknown According to the Houthis:
500 Saudi-led troops killed
2,000 captured
15 military vehicles destroyed[7]

From late August to late September 2019, a military operation was carried out by Yemeni forces loyal to the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council, under the code name "Victory from God".[2][3] It targeted Saudi Arabia and allied forces along the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border.[8]

At the operation's height in late September, the Houthi-led forces reportedly encircled and destroyed a substantial concentration of Saudi-led forces.[2] The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree in a press conference, said that three Saudi-led brigades alongside KSA forces were besieged and defeated following a 72 hour battle south of Najran. Thousands of enemy forces were reported casualties[9] with over 500 Saudi led forces killed and 2,500 captured[7] and 15 vehicles burned out. According to the Houthi spokesman, the Saudi brigades were preparing for a major attack against the Houthis in retaliation to the attack on Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities, however the Houthis were able to lure the Saudi troops into their trap. According to the Houthi military spokesman, Saudi warplanes then conducted airstrikes targeting the Saudi captives but the spokesman assured the families of the captives that they were able to hide and protect them from the coalition airstrikes.[10][11] The Houthis have described the attack as "the largest operation since aggression started on our country (Yemen)".[12][13]

  1. ^ a b "Yemeni military reveals footage of 2nd phase of " Victory from God" operation". 2019-10-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Weiss, Caleb (29 September 2019). "Houthis claim major operation inside Saudi Arabia". Long War Journal. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference monitor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference alalam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference aljazeera was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b "Houthis claim to have killed 500 Saudi soldiers in major attack". TheGuardian.com. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  8. ^ Cole, Juan (September 29, 2019). "Yemen's Houthis Claim Invasion of Saudi Arabia, Capture of Thousands of Troops in Najran". Common Dreams.
  9. ^ Desk, News (September 28, 2019). "Houthi forces capture Saudi Army officers in big attack along Yemeni border". {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "الحوثيون يعلنون سقوط 3 ألوية للتحالف وأسر مئات العسكريين السعوديين". CNN Arabic. September 28, 2019.
  11. ^ Chmaytelli, Maher (2019-09-28). "Yemen's Houthis say attacked Saudi border frontline, no immediate Saudi confirmation". reuters. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Yemen: Houthi rebels claim capture of 'thousands' of Saudi troops". DW. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Yemen's Houthis announce capture of 'thousands of enemy troops'". Aljazeera. Retrieved 29 September 2019.