ADEN, Yemen, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Fighters of the Houthi rebel group on Sunday made a new on-ground military progress and captured a strategic city in the northeastern province of al-Jawf.
Following weeks of intense armed confrontations, the Houthi fighters managed to militarily storm the city of al-Hazm, capital of al-Jawf province, from different directions.
A local pro-government official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that "the government forces failed to repulse scores of Houthi fighters who managed to storm al-Hazm city from the western and northwestern sides."
He clarified that "the Houthis were deployed in different parts of the city and took their positions inside the government institutions including the local authority compound."
He confirmed that all the pro-government military units withdrew from al-Hazm and left toward the adjacent oil-rich Marib province.
Another official based in al-Jawf told Xinhua that "intense battles are still ongoing between pro-government tribesmen and the Houthis near the residential building of al-Jawf governor in an area neighboring of al-Hazm."
He said that "the governor of al-Jawf along with other military leaders and tribal figures are still defending their areas and confronting the Houthi attackers."
The official pointed out that the country's Defense Ministry dispatched heavy army reinforcements from the neighboring province of Marib to a number of areas controlled by the government in al-Jawf.
He said the country's defense ministry plans to reunite the government forces in some rural areas of al-Jawf and prepare for an all-out offensive with the support of local tribes against the Houthis in al-Hazm.
Yemeni military experts believe that the Houthi military advancement came as a blow to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
All the military and security bases, the local government headquarters and the political compound based in al-Hazm were seized by the Houthi fighters who set up several checkpoints in and around the city.
Residents confirmed that Houthis invaded some civil institutions and captured their owners who were linked to the government and closed other businesses in the city.
Yemen's government commented on the situation of al-Jawf in a statement revealed by Muammar Al-Iryani who serves as the minister of information in the Saudi-backed government.
The Yemeni minister praised "the national army heroes who are battling the Houthi militiamen since a month ago in the military fronts of al-Jawf."
He said that "the Houthis are committing suicide attacks and attempting to infiltrate into al-Jawf."
Dozens of fighters from both Yemeni warring forces were killed or wounded in the Sunday battles, the officials said, without specifying a number.
In January, the Houthis seized control of the mountains overlooking the roads linking the capital city of Sanaa with al-Jawf and Marib provinces.
The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said the control of al-Jawf would pave the way for seizing control of the oil-rich Marib province.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.
