On Sunday, the Houthis took control of Al-Hazm, the strategic center of Al-Jawf Governorate, north of Sanaa, according to military officials loyal to the internationally recognized government, in a move analysts said could help the Houthis achieve a major breakthrough in the war’s course.

Sources said to the island that the Houthis took control of the city of Al-Hazm, the center of Al-Jawf governorate, after the withdrawal of the Yemeni National Army forces from its surroundings, after fighting continued for days.

Military sources said that orders were issued to the army to withdraw from its positions in the Aqaba and Ham areas, hours after the Houthis took control of the Al-Ghayl district.

She added that the Houthis blew up the Holy Quran House in the governorate, and the home of the 101st Infantry Commander. On the other hand, the Saudi-Emirati coalition aircraft targeted the Political Security Authority building and the government complex building in Al-Hazm city.

The Houthis were already in control of large parts of Al-Jawf governorate, but its capital, some 150 km south of the border with Saudi Arabia, was still under the control of government forces.

The military official said that the Houthis "took control of the city of Al-Hazm (...) after confrontations with government forces, which had to withdraw to the neighboring province of Marib."

Yemen has been experiencing a war since 2014 between Iran-backed Houthis and forces loyal to the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, and fighting intensified in March 2015, with Saudi Arabia intervening at the head of a military alliance in support of government forces.

Military sources said that more than thirty government forces officers were killed in the past two days in the battlefield, while dozens of Houthi fighters were killed and others were wounded.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Houthis about controlling the city of Al-Hazm.

The Executive Director of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, Majed Al-Madhhaji, considered that the Houthis' control of the capital of Al-Jouf "may completely change the course of the war" as it puts the neighboring and oil-rich Marib governorate within their range of fire.

He explained that "the Houthis are now changing the balance of power and launching exceptional progress," noting that controlling the Al-Jouf capital allows the rebels to surround Ma'rib.

He added, "The Houthis currently overlook Marib from three sides (...) and therefore their path may begin to cordon off the Marib governorate after a while if the legitimate government cannot respond to the attack."

According to Al-Madhhaji, controlling Al-Jouf "means the Houthis secure themselves from any infiltration" from the north.