Shabwa (South24 Center)

Two Southern soldiers were killed and five others wounded today, Saturday (Jan 17), in a drone attack carried out by the Houthi group targeting Southern Forces' positions on the Markha Al-Ulya front in Shabwa Governorate, according to the South24 Center correspondent.

The correspondent reported that the first attack in Markha al-Ulya resulted in the death of two soldiers and the wounding of two others, while three more soldiers were injured in a second drone attack targeting the same front later the same day.

This attack is part of a series of offensives launched by the Houthi group since the beginning of January across several fronts in the governorates of Shabwa, Dhalea, Marib, and Lahj, utilizing drones, shelling, and through infiltration operations.

In Dhalea Governorate, the Southern Forces announced on Jan 12 that they had foiled a Houthi infiltration attempt in the Battar sector, northwest of the governorate, confirming that the attackers sustained human and material losses.

On the Harib front in Marib Governorate, the South24 Center correspondent on Jan 11 reported the death of a Shabwa Defense Forces soldier in a Houthi drone attack.

Additionally, a military source told South24 Center that a Southern Forces soldier was killed by a mortar shell fired by the Houthi group on the Karsh front, north of Lahj Governorate, on the evening of Jan 10.

On the sixth of this month, a Southern Forces soldier was killed and another wounded by a Houthi sniper on the Battar front, north of Dhalea Governorate, while another soldier was killed during the repelling of a Houthi attack on the Al-Hadd front in Yafa district, according to a military source.

In a separate context, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Friday (Jan 16) the imposition of sanctions on 21 individuals and entities it said are linked to supporting the Houthi group through networks involving oil trade, arms smuggling, and providing financial services in Yemen, Oman, and the UAE.

The Department stated in a press release that the Houthis generate more than $2 billion annually from illicit oil sales, and described these revenues as one of the most prominent sources of funding for their military operations, contributing to the prolongation of the conflict and undermining stability efforts in Yemen. 

The U.S. Treasury added that these activities reflect the scale of unregulated financial resources that the group benefits from in conflict areas.

Previously, the Southern Forces had uncovered primitive oil refineries operating illegally in Wadi Hadramout, amid estimates indicating that armed groups, including the Houthi group, benefit from these activities.

The Yemeni Attorney General directed an investigation into these refineries. However, it remains unknown how far these investigations have reached, given the control of Saudi-backed forces over the governorate.