File image.
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pushed toward the Red Sea port of Mocha on October 5 in a major counterattack against the Houthis (Ansar Allah), claiming to have retaken the port city and driven the group from positions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Government forces said earlier in the day they had seized large parts of the Dhubab district overlooking the strait, including an airstrip, and cut the road linking Dhubab with Mocha.
Military sources told Reuters that the forces reached the outskirts of Mocha later, while Yemen’s Defense Ministry said the city had fallen.
The Houthis, for their part, rejected the claims. The extent of the government’s gains could not be independently confirmed.
Saudi Arabia has thrown substantial air power behind the operation. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets took part in Operation Dawn of Yemen and that 324 high-value targets had been destroyed.
The spokesman added that Saudi warplanes were providing continuous support to government forces and protecting the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The campaign is also drawing military support from outside the region. The New York Times reported that more than 200 United States intelligence and military analysts are working inside Saudi command centers to help analyze and select targets for Saudi-backed forces. The U.S. is also providing aerial refueling for Saudi defensive patrols.
In addition, aerial tankers from the United Kingdom and France were spotted on tracking websites near the battle zone as the counterattack began.
The fighting has also been accompanied by allegations of abuses against captured fighters. Videos circulated during the day purporting to show Saudi-backed forces using armored vehicles to run over Houthi fighters who had surrendered near the Bab al-Mandab front.
Saudi warplanes also struck targets in and around the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, as part of the wider campaign. Houthi-affiliated media reported that an airstrike in Bani Hashish killed a schoolgirl and wounded two other children, while authorities in Sanaa reported two civilians killed and seven wounded in strikes on the Sanhan and Sawan areas.
The government’s push along the coast coincided with further Houthi gains around Taiz, where the group has continued advancing toward the last remaining routes into the government-held city.
Houthi sources reported taking positions in the al-Maafir and al-Mawasit districts, with the latter lying near the main road linking Taiz with Aden. Reuters confirmed that Houthi forces had driven government units from al-Mawasit and reached the area around the residence of Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi.
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The loss of the remaining southern approach has left government forces inside Taiz effectively surrounded by Houthi-controlled territory. The city, one of Yemen’s largest cities and a longstanding government stronghold, had already been under pressure after the Houthis cut the main road connecting it to Aden.
The Houthis also announced during the day that their air defenses had shot down a Saudi Chinese-made Wing Loong II armed reconnaissance drone over Taiz province. The announcement was made by Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree.
Reports of fresh attacks and explosions also emerged in Saudi Arabia. Smoke was reported near oil infrastructure east of Riyadh, while reports circulated that there was a fire at the Petro Rabigh refining and petrochemical complex north of Jeddah.
Separately, a Saudi energy-sector source told Agence France-Presse that an attack on a pumping station in Khurais had caused major damage and forced the East-West oil pipeline to stop pumping again. The Houthis announced a strike on oil facilities there a day earlier.
The competing operations have opened a new phase of the war in Yemen. Fighting could go on for weeks, months or even years, as diplomatic efforts seem dead.
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„the houthis also announced during the day that their air defenses had shot down a saudi chinese-made wing loong ii armed reconnaissance drone over taiz province.“ can we agree here that chinese are bastards?
chinese will sell weapons to both sides in this conflict because they want to use iran against usa so that they can go for taiwan w/o much american interference
seems like lot of pak and turk soldiers will die for saudis in yemen and this might not change much on the battlefield. pak has sent 40000 troops to yemen, this will cause baloch and taliban groups to cause more instability in pakistan due to a security vacuum and ultimately might lead to balkanisation of pakistan