On July 12, the Saudi Daily Asharq al-Awsat reported: "Yemeni sources close to the presidency have revealed to Al-Sharq al-Awsat that Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN envoy to Yemen, asked to meet with President Abd Rabuh Masur Hadi in an attempt to save the Yemeni-Yemeni peace talks following Hadi's statements and hints of not returning to Kuwait. An adviser in the presidency told Asharq al-Awsat that Ould Cheikh's attempt to meet Hadi is considered an effort to correct his mistakes. Yasin Makkawi, an adviser to the Yemeni president and a member of the Yemeni peace talks delegation in Kuwait, said that the mistake Ould Cheikh got into is that he "touched on the issue of a road map that has not been agreed to, or even presented to the government delegation, because he pointed to a national unity government, which means an attempt to legitimise the coup. This sets a dangerous precedent with regard to legitimising coups in the world."

"Makkawi revealed severe criticism that the Yemeni government made about Ould Cheikh, saying: "As a government delegation to the Kuwait talks, we issued sharp criticism as soon as he pointed to that in his recent briefing to the Security Council, and through our experience in the 70-day marathon Kuwait talks, I believe that a military settlement is necessary for ending the coup and all its consequences, or strict implementation of the UN Security Council resolution." He also stressed: "The UN envoy should work on developing implementation mechanisms for the resolution because it was agreed upon in the city of Biel in Switzerland, rather than going to reconciliation outside the framework of Resolution 2216, which will lead to maintaining and legitimising the coup." Hadi's adviser added that the latest briefing by Ould Cheikh to the UN Security Council "was outside the track of Resolution 2216 and his attempts in putting forward a road map which has not been agreed towards forming a national unity government is an adaptation to the Houthi-Salih desires and to their delegation, disregarding the UN sanctions imposed on them as having disrupted the political process, overrun the Gulf Initiative and national dialogue results, ignited a war and threatened neighbouring countries. In fact, they even carried out military assaults on the borders of Saudi Arabia, and constituted a threat to the security of its citizens."

"In a related context, the prominent Yemeni official revealed to Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the national army and popular resistance forces have already started to impose a military encirclement around the capital of Sanaa. Makkawi confirmed that the visit of Hadi and his deputy to Marib on 10 July carried "a number of messages, both internally and externally. On the internal level, they led to an increased popular momentum in standing against the Iranian-backed coup project, and raising the morale and combat-readiness of the national army and popular resistance, and their preparedness to fight the next decisive battle, signs of which have started to appear by the imposition of a military encirclement of Sanaa."

"Makkawi noted that the visit also conveyed a "clear message to the international community and to the special envoy of the UN secretary-general that the legitimate government represented by President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi - with the southern and northern Yemeni people, the national army and the popular resistance behind it, and by its side the Saudi-led Arab coalition - are serious about liberating all of Yemen so as to restore the state which was hijacked by the Houthi-Salih militias, and to cut off the Iranian project in a region that is considered a lifeline for Arab and international interests."

"Hadi's adviser noted that the legitimate Yemeni Government aspires to a permanent peace that is "uncompromised by implementing Resolution 2216, and it thereby confirms its commitment to the resolutions of international legitimacy, which some mistakenly have thought to possibly bypass", and it praises "the strenuous efforts exerted by the brotherly State of Kuwait and its Prince". To that extent, informed sources in Sanaa have told Asharq al-Awsat that the rebels have come into a difficult situation in Sanaa and that they have used up their entire militia in the capital and the belt surrounding it, and have also increased security over certain residents of the capital who they believe to be supporters of legitimacy and who could contribute to the liberation process from within. Sources in Sanaa have also noted a significant state of popular discontent prevailing in the city, especially after militias robbed the basic salaries of employees and looted a huge amount of funds in conjunction with the exclusion of many supporters of the ousted President Ali Abdallah Salih from government, security and military institutions.

"On another level, the head of the Houthi-Salih rebel delegation to the Kuwait talks tried to play on the issue of returning to talks as long as it supports their stance. Abd-al-Salam said in a post on his Facebook page: "We confirm our commitments made in the first round of talks with the UN envoy, and also to the specified time for holding the next round in Kuwait, without any preconditions and with the agreement of continued commitment to the cessation of military operations and to moving the Pacification and Coordination Committee to a place close to the field of operations (Dhahran Al Janub, as agreed), along with whatever ensures the cessation of hostilities by land, air and sea, and returning to continue the talks on the specified date of 15 July in order to reach comprehensive solutions according to the agreed upon terms of reference, including the related UN resolutions." However, Abd-al-Salam declared their reservations on "sanctions articles, the agr! eed upon results of the national dialogue conference, and the Agreement of Peace and Partnership," in addition to some details regarding political reconciliation that were in favour of the rebels with the full support of former UN envoy Jamal bin 'Umar.

"Commenting on President Hadi's speech in Marib, Brigadier Thabit Husayn Salih, a researcher and political analyst, said that the visit of President Hadi and his deputy to Marib could be read in the context of threatening, or maybe this time the serious commencement of the option of a military settlement in the north, as a response to the attempts by the other party to circumvent those resolutions of the UN Security Council that are related to Yemen, particularly Resolution 2216, in order to make it as if it never existed, or at least to dilute it and bring the situation in Yemen back to square one, before the launch of Operation Decisive Storm which came on 26 March 2015, to restore and support legitimacy, headed by President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Brigadier Thabit Salih added: While the southern resistance, as it was in the past, prevented any advancement of the Houthis towards the south, and actually inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis which made them think a thousand times before deciding to repeat their attempts... [ellipsis as published] the popular resistance in the north, and also the pro-legitimacy military units under the national army were and still are losing their positions - few as they are - one after another."