Armed forces loyal to Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi have been on high alert in Aden following the Houthis’ takeover of Taiz city on Sunday, taking up positions along the governorate’s borders in anticipation of an assault.
Popular committee members and military forces have been gathering in the Karesh area of Aden governorate, near the border with Lahj, according to popular committee member Mohammad Herbaj.
“Defending Aden and southern Yemen is not just the responsibility of popular committee members, it involves all southerners and everyone is getting prepared,” he said.
In a speech televised Sunday evening, Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi said his group’s decision to mobilize for war was “imperative” under current circumstances and that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and its affiliates—among whom he counts Hadi—are being targeted, as opposed to southern Yemen and its citizens.