President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, also exiled in Saudi Arabia, echoed his sentiments in a televised speech, adding that recapturing Aden will pave the way to retaking the entire country.
"We will soon achieve a glorious victory in Yemen, our beloved country, in its entirety…the victory in Aden will be the key to save our cause," he said.
According to Reuters, residents that have been displaced from the fighting are returning home as the battle subsides. Many are also saying that with the exception of occasional gunfire, the streets are under the control of forces loyal to Hadi’s government.
Fighters and witnesses also told Reuters that the offensive in Aden was largely aided by training and weapons delivery by the Saudi-led coalition, which has been conducting a four-month long intense aerial bombing campaign against Houthi captured parts of the country. Witnesses and fighters told Reuters that the battle was backed by weapons donations from the Arab coalition, including 100 vehicles provided by the United Arab Emirates.
Spokesman for local fights in Aden, Ali al-Ahmedi told Reuters that the victory was clinched after dozens of Houthi fighters surrendered and began to lose ground. However, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels has denied defeat, telling Al Jazeera that the exiled government’s announcement was a "lie."
"There are many exaggerations. Fighting is still raging at high intensity," he told the Qatar-based network over the phone.
"We will not give up until we liberate Aden inch by inch from the invading powers."
His claim was backed by Deputy editor of Yemeni newspaper, Al Ayyam, who told Al Jazeera that 10-15% of the city remains in Houthi hands, and that a “large chunk” of Aden is under the control of Shiite-affiliated militias.
One of the world’s busiest ports, Aden has been the site of heavy fighting between forces backed by the Saudi-led campaign and Shi’ite Houthi fighters allied with Iran. Aden was the last stronghold for Hadi before it was captured by Houthi fighters in September, forcing the president to flee to Saudi Arabia. From there, the fighters pushed into the country’s south and east.
Since the beginning of the Saudi-led airstrike campaign against the Shi’ite fighters, more than 3,500 people have been killed and over a million displaced. With Shi’ites on one side and Sunnis on the other, the conflict is seen as a proxy war between regional foes, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
