Armed clashes between forces aligned with the Saudi-led coalition and fighters from the Ansar Allah movement, also called Houthis, have left at least 63 people dead in the last 24 hours in western Yemen.
Despite the announcement of a pro-government ground operation to try to recover positions along the coast and around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Yemeni movement repelled the incursion and maintained military control of the strategic island of Mayyun this Saturday (10).
Military sources on both sides confirmed to the international news agency AFP the record of 35 casualties among government troops and 28 Ansar Allah fighters killed in the last day.
Since the beginning of the week, armed clashes in the region have resulted in around 500 deaths. The resumption of hostilities in July, after four years of relative truce, has already caused the forced displacement of more than 200,000 people, according to data from the United Nations (UN).
In a statement to AFPAnsar Allah political bureau member Hizam al-Asad reported that pro-Saudi forces attempted to advance from Ras al-Ara, in Lahj province, towards the south of Bab al-Mandab, but were contained outside the strait area.
“Our forces maintain control of Bab al-Mandab, the island of Mayyun and other areas along the country’s western coast,” al-Asad said. The leader said that “the Saudi enemy takes full responsibility for the repercussions of its escalation in Bab al-Mandab with regard to the security of international navigation.”
Military sources from the internationally recognized Yemeni government admitted that the island of Mayyun, located in the center of the sea route, remained under the control of Ansar Allah.
Air offensive
Faced with containment on the ground, the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced a large-scale air offensive against positions in Yemen. Saudi alliance spokesman Turki al-Maliki stated on social media that 136 military targets were attacked with the aim of dismantling the movement’s ballistic missile network and providing continuous air support to government troops.
Yemeni broadcaster Al-Masirah reported missile fire and Saudi shelling in the province of Saada, in the northwest of the country, in addition to four new air attacks against the international airport in the capital Sanaa this Saturday (10). On Friday (9), two civilians died at the Sanaa air terminal after coalition bombings.
The intensity of Riyadh’s aerial actions occurs in retaliation for successive attacks with drones and missiles launched by Ansar Allah against the territory of Saudi Arabia. On Thursday (8), three people died after projectiles hit King Khalid International Airport, in the Saudi capital, causing severe damage to a commercial aircraft.
So far this week, six people have died in actions claimed by the Yemeni movement against Saudi airports.
This Saturday (10), the administration of Riyadh airport once again issued an official alert recommending that passengers contact airlines directly to check the status of their flights before traveling to the terminal.
The Ansar Allah movement governs the capital Sanaa and the northern and western portion of the country, where between 60% and 70% of the Yemeni population live. Since the end of 2023, the group’s forces have carried out blockade actions and attacks in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinian cause and against the genocide promoted by Israel in the Gaza Strip, transforming the Yemeni coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait into one of the main poles of geopolitical dispute in the Middle East.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
