Leaders of the 35th Armored Brigade on Sunday held their first meeting since the assassination of Brig. Gen. Adnan Mohammed Al-Hammadi. 

Presiding over the war staff meeting at brigade headquarters in the Al-Mawasit district of Taiz governorate, Colonel Abdul Malik Al-Ahdal directed staff to increase combat readiness and prepare for any emergencies along the brigade's fronts in southern Taiz governorate. 

The brigade, part of the anti-Houthi group of forces known as the Taiz Military Axis, was seen almost as an extension of Al-Hammadi, a popular military figure who took up arms against the Houthis in his native Taiz in 2015. Questions have lingered about whether his death would lead to the unraveling of the military unit. Sunday’s meeting seems to suggest otherwise for now.

An investigation into Al-Hammadi's assassination is ongoing.