Aden (South24 Center)

Multiple sources told South24 Center on Wednesday, July 15, that military and tribal forces were mobilizing toward Al-Jawf Governorate and frontline positions facing the Houthi militia.

The movements coincide with the circulation of videos showing Saudi-backed forces being placed on heightened alert and reinforced in the Al-Abar area of Hadramout Governorate. A South24 Center editor verified the authenticity of the footage.

Sources monitoring developments on the ground in Wadi Hadramout said the Saudi-backed Nation’s Shield Forces, locally known as Deraa Al-Watan, and the Yemeni Emergency Forces had been placed on full alert, with preparations underway for several days. However, the sources stressed that no actual movement by Nation’s Shield units had been detected as of Wednesday.

The sources said the units seen in the circulated footage were more likely affiliated with the Yemeni Emergency Forces than with the Nation’s Shield Forces. They also reported a broader mobilization in the area amid field discussions about the approach of what was described as “zero hour,” although no clear date had been set for any potential military operation.

Preparations have not been limited to the military sector. Emergency departments at several hospitals have also raised their level of readiness in anticipation of possible developments on the combat fronts, according to the sources.

Other local sources said forces and tribes loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government had begun moving toward Al-Jawf, with Salafi fighters also participating in the mobilization. The sources said Saudi air support could be provided if military operations were launched.

They added that tribes aligned with the government camp had joined the mobilization after receiving financial support.

The developments come one day after forces loyal to the Yemeni government announced that they had thwarted a Houthi attack on the Qanaw front, east of Al-Jawf Governorate, saying that Houthi movements in the area were under intensive monitoring and surveillance.

Al-Jawf holds considerable strategic importance as one of the main pressure points against the Houthis from the east and north. Its frontlines are also connected to the Marib and Saada axes and the Saudi border.

Any large-scale military operation in the governorate could reactivate fronts that have remained largely frozen under an undeclared state of “no war, no peace,” despite intermittent clashes and violations.

On June 7, a Saudi military delegation visited units affiliated with the Yemeni government on several frontlines facing the Houthis in northern Al-Jawf.

On June 29, Yemeni tribes from several governorates arrived at the Al-Rayyan gathering point east of Al-Jawf in response to a tribal mobilization call, locally known as a Nakaf, issued by Sheikh Hamad bin Fadgham. The gathering marked the beginning of a broader tribal mobilization on the outskirts of the governorate.

In parallel, the Houthi militia published photographs of an armed tribal gathering in Bani Hashish District, Sanaa Governorate, as part of what it describes as a general mobilization against “aggression and blockade.”

The parallel movements point to rising tribal and military readiness on both sides, placing Al-Jawf Governorate once again at the forefront of Yemen’s military landscape.

The mobilization also coincides with a broader escalation following the bombing of Sanaa International Airport and the subsequent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.