The Houthis have claimed an attack on the main airport of the capital of Saudi Arabia and also denied losing territory to government forces on Tuesday. This claim comes as clashes in Yemen have intensified.
Claim of Counterattack by Yemeni Government Forces
Yemeni government forces claimed on Monday that they had expelled the Houthis from the Bab al-Mandab area, a key shipping route in the Red Sea, as well as from the port city of Al-Mokha, which was captured last month. However, the claims from both sides have not been independently verified due to the changing conditions on the battlefield and the difficulty for journalists to access the area.
Read more: Yemeni government launches new military operation to retake areas under Houthi control
The military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, announced on Telegram that the group still controls all recently captured territories, including strategic areas along the Red Sea coast. He also stated that Houthi forces have carried out dozens of attacks against government forces in Al-Jawf and Marib, as well as in Taiz province in recent hours.
Military Pressures and Humanitarian Damage
The Houthis announced on Monday night that they had attacked Riyadh Airport and a refinery belonging to the state oil company Aramco. Loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital that night. On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabian Civil Aviation Authority announced that at least three people were injured in attacks on the airports of Jazan and Najran as well.
Saudi Arabia, the main supporter of the Yemeni government, is providing air support to government forces in this counteroffensive. Yemeni government forces announced on Monday night that they had achieved victories on several fronts, but military sources from the government refrained from officially confirming the capture of Al-Mokha, only mentioning the disruption of supply routes to the area.
The Yemeni government has declared its goal to retake all Houthi-held territories, where most of the country's population resides, and many of these areas have been under Houthi control for over a decade. The Yemeni civil war has reignited in July after years of relative calm, opening a new front in the broader Middle Eastern conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Last month, the Houthis took control of the entire western coastal strip of Yemen along the Red Sea, and these clashes have been among the deadliest in recent years. Since then, they have regularly attacked Saudi oil and military facilities and declared a naval blockade on Saudi ships.
Pakistan and Turkey have also committed to sending forces to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact. The war in Yemen has led to a humanitarian crisis, and with the renewed fighting, over 184,000 people have been displaced from their homes, according to United Nations statistics.
The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, also expressed deep concern over the severe escalation of clashes and condemned the continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Read more: Saudi Arabia and Yemen launch new operations against the Houthis · Yemeni government forces attacked Houthi targets
