Gen. Tareq Saleh Reportedly Flees Yemen After Houthi Advances
Gen. Tareq Saleh, who has led Yemen’s National Resistance forces and served as deputy head of the internationally recognized government’s Presidential Leadership Council, is reportedly said to have left Yemen by boat for Eritrea after Houthi forces took control of Mocha (Al-Mokha), a strategically important port city on Yemen’s western coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The initial reports of Saleh’s alleged departure were carried by Russia’s RT, which reported that his forces estimated at nearly 10,000 fighters and previously backed by the United Arab Emirates were defeated in fighting that lasted less than 24 hours.
Reuters, meanwhile, reported that Saleh, the nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, had ordered his forces to withdraw from positions exposed to the Houthis along the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab and move to safer locations.
However, there is currently no independent or official confirmation that Gen. Tareq Saleh personally fled to Eritrea. The report of his alleged departure should therefore be treated as unverified pending confirmation from additional reliable sources.