File image.
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) said on September 11 they had driven Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces from six districts along the country’s western coast, claiming a major territorial gain in an offensive that has rapidly reshaped the battle around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement that the forces launched an operation on September 3 called “Allah Is Stronger in Might and Stronger in Punishment” in parts of Taiz and Hodeidah provinces.
According to Saree, the operation resulted in the capture of territory covering about 5,400 square kilometers. He said the areas had become “safe and stable,” while claiming that Houthi forces had attacked seven military formations comprising 38 brigades.
Saree added that hundreds of members of the opposing forces had been killed, wounded or captured, and that Houthi forces had also freed prisoners held for years by Saudi-backed forces along the western coast.
The spokesman also claimed that Houthis had carried out 32 air defense operations against Saudi warplanes and shot down nine drones.
The operation had continued despite what Saree described as “intensive air cover” by Saudi Arabia in support of its allied forces.
The announcement comes amid a sharp escalation along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, where Houthi forces have made a series of rapid advances in recent days. The group has seized the strategically important port city of Mocha and, on September 11, took control of Perim Island, also known as Mayun, at the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to reports.
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The recent fighting represents a major escalation after years of relative calm following the 2022 truce brokered by the United Nations.
The Bab el-Mandeb is one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and providing a key route between Europe and Asia. The Houthi advances have raised particular concern in Saudi Arabia because they place the group closer to the maritime routes used for the kingdom’s energy exports.
The escalation has also increasingly drawn Saudi Arabia directly into the fighting. On September 8, the Houthis launched attacks on southern Saudi Arabia that officials said wounded 73 people and caused fires at key oil facilities.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman subsequently sought U.S. military assistance against the Houthis, according to Reuters. President Donald Trump declined to commit U.S. forces to direct strikes but agreed to provide intelligence and targeting support, Reuters reported.
In the latest statement, Saree said the Houthis would continue their campaign against Saudi Arabia while maintaining restrictions on the kingdom’s shipping.
“Maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi ships,” he said, referring to an earlier Houthi ban on Saudi vessels.
He added that the group would continue to enforce what it called the “equation of blockade for blockade” and would respond to escalation with further escalation “until the aggression stops and the blockade is lifted” against Yemen.
The rapid Houthi advances have created a new military challenge around the Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea approaches for Saudi Arabia, with Yemen government forces now facing the possibility of a much broader confrontation that could drag on for months.
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the 5th video down is the perfect video for the fall of the usa. it’s literally a dude in sandals and an ak47 climbing around on an abandoned maxxpro that the us spent a few million dollars on.
down with the saudi-wahhabi, they are fanatics