The international coalition says it launched a massive military operation against the Ansar Allah group and destroyed 136 targets
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On Saturday, the Saudi-led military coalition announced the launch of a large-scale military operation against the Ansar Allah group, confirming the destruction of 136 military targets in areas under its control, in light of the escalation of confrontations with Yemeni government forces, and after a series of attacks that targeted Saudi airports and resulted in the killing of six people this week.
The official spokesman for the coalition forces, Turki Al-Maliki, said on the X platform: “We are carrying out a large-scale operation targeting the elements and capabilities of the terrorist Houthi militia.”
Al-Maliki added in a separate post that the coalition forces destroyed 136 military targets in areas under the control of the Ansar Allah group.
On the other hand, the group's Al-Masirah channel reported Saudi missile attacks in Saada Governorate, northwest of Yemen, which is considered one of the most prominent Ansar Allah strongholds.
The military operation comes at a time when several areas of Yemen have been witnessing violent battles for weeks, the intensity of which escalated with the government forces announcing, last Sunday, the start of a counter-attack to reclaim areas recently controlled by the Ansar Allah group, with the participation of the Saudi-led coalition by intensifying its air strikes.
Six people were killed in attacks on Saudi airports
The military escalation in Yemen comes after a series of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched by the Ansar Allah group on Saudi airports and facilities, killing six people and wounding dozens this week.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia announced that three of its citizens were killed in two attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday.
Saudi Airlines mourned one of its pilots, Captain Hamoud bin Ali Al-Kalthami, who was killed in the attack, confirming that one of its planes, which was not carrying passengers at the time it was targeted, was damaged.
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On Wednesday, the Saudi authorities announced that three more people were killed and 36 injured in attacks targeting Abha and King Khalid airports on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thursday's attacks forced diplomats in Riyadh to take shelter in safe places, while international schools took security measures, amid the sound of explosions being heard in the city.
The Ansar Allah group announced the implementation of three missile attacks on Riyadh Airport on Thursday, and renewed its warnings to airlines against using Saudi airspace.
The group's spokesman, Yahya Saree, said on Friday that humanitarian flights to and from Riyadh airport now require a permit from the group.
Countries, including the United States, Britain and Canada, called on their citizens to be cautious in light of the security escalation.
The Ansar Allah group also resumed targeting Saudi oil tankers and oil facilities, after announcing the imposition of a naval blockade on the Kingdom in response to the air blockade imposed by the coalition.
On Thursday, the group called on workers in Saudi oil facilities to leave.
Battles escalate around the Bab al-Mandab Strait
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According to Agence France-Presse, the military operation aims to restore the areas controlled by the Houthis during an attack they launched last September, during which they expanded their control to include the entire western coast of Yemen overlooking the Red Sea, including the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait area.
The German News Agency quoted a government military source as saying that forces from the Giants and Homeland Shield Brigades took control of Al-Ardi camp and observation points belonging to the Coast Guard, in addition to the heights surrounding the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Mayon Island.
The source added that the clashes and combing operations are still continuing, noting that a number of members of the Ansar Allah group were killed, without specifying a final death toll.
A military source in the government forces told Agence France-Presse on Friday that a large operation was underway to restore the Bab al-Mandab Strait area, indicating that the clashes were violent and that progress on the ground was limited.
This came at a time when the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber, announced via the
But the government military source who spoke to AFP did not confirm that control over the strait had been regained.
For its part, the Ansar Allah group acknowledged that an attack had occurred in the region, but confirmed that it had been confronted.
The group's Saba news agency quoted a military source as saying that its forces targeted concentrations of forces that attempted to advance from Lahj Governorate towards the southern side of Bab al-Mandab, claiming that the attack was thwarted, dozens of deaths and injuries were caused, and a number of military vehicles were destroyed.
Since the start of the government forces' counterattack, the battles have resulted in the deaths of more than 400 people.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait is gaining strategic importance for international navigation and trade, in addition to its increasing importance to Saudi Arabia in exporting oil, in light of the restrictions imposed by Iran on navigation movement through the Strait of Hormuz.
Raids on Sanaa and Saada, and an explosion was heard near Aden Airport
On Friday, media outlets affiliated with the Ansar Allah group reported that two people were killed in Saudi raids targeting the airport of the capital, Sanaa, a day after the group launched bloody attacks on Riyadh airport.
Al Masirah TV quoted an official at Sanaa Airport as saying that the attack resulted in the death of two airport employees and the injury of two others.
The channel said that the raids came shortly after a demonstration in support of the Ansar Allah group in which tens of thousands participated in the center of the capital.
In a separate context, the Civil Defense Authority in Sanaa announced that four fires resulting from Saudi raids had been extinguished, noting that one of the raids led to the destruction of a factory.
The group's media also reported night raids targeting two factories in Sana'a and other sites in Saada Governorate.
On the other hand, the Saudi-led military coalition announced the destruction of three missile launchers, which it said were being used by the Ansar Allah group to threaten regional security, stressing that attacks on civilians and civilian facilities will be met with a firm response.
In southern Yemen, residents reported hearing a strong explosion near Aden Airport on Friday, according to Reuters.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, while the cause of the explosion was not clear.
Saudi Arabia rules out a ceasefire before regaining the lost areas
Islamabad and Ankara announced, in a joint statement with Riyadh on Monday, their intention to deploy forces and military capabilities in the Kingdom, according to a defense agreement signed about two months ago.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan explained on Thursday that his country would not send military forces to launch attacks against the Ansar Allah group inside Yemen.
