At least 63 people died over a 24-hour period as the Saudi-led coalition announced a large-scale military operation against Houthi forces in Yemen, striking 136 targets amid intense ground fighting around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen pressed its campaign as military operations and ground combat escalated sharply across western Yemen. Coalition operations will continue until the Houthi coup is ended and the state is restored, with officials stressing that repeated attacks against Saudi Arabia require a deterrent response.
Coalition Air Strikes Target 136 Houthi Military Sites
Major General Turki Al-Maliki announced that the alliance destroyed 136 military targets in areas controlled by the Houthi movement. The air campaign aims to dismantle ballistic missile networks, stop the looting of state resources, and counter attacks that threaten regional stability, according to military updates distributed via the Saudi Press Agency. The military actions also target the internal blockades and forced displacement of civilians by the militia.
United Nations figures place the cumulative death toll from the conflict well past 377,000 by the end of 2021, with millions facing displacement and severe food insecurity. The coalition intervened in Yemen initially in 2015 at the request of the internationally recognised government following the Houthi takeover of Sanaa. The World Food Programme has repeatedly warned of famine risks in areas affected by fighting and blockades.
Heavy Casualties Reported in Bab el-Mandeb Strait Clashes
Anti-Houthi forces had captured portions of the strait during an offensive in early September, but military sources report that the corridor remains contested. Fighting centered around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping lane connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Clashes in western Yemen resulted in at least 63 deaths within a 24-hour window, comprising 35 government soldiers and 28 Houthi fighters.
Rival Forces Dispute Control Over Mayyoun Island and Regional Shipping Lanes
Allied troops are advancing toward the strait to retake the strategic waterway, backed by around-the-clock coalition air support, indicate government military sources. However, Houthi political bureau member Hizam al-Asad disputed government claims of territorial gains, while reporting from the region notes that Houthi fighters still hold Mayyoun Island at the heart of the passage.
Hizam al-Asad said that our forces maintain control over Bab el-Mandeb, Mayyoun Island, and the other areas
of the country’s western coastline.
The strait has gained importance as a route for Saudi oil exports following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula.
Saudi Air Defenses Intercept Ballistic Missile in Al-Kharj Governorate
Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile over the Al-Kharj governorate launched by the Houthi movement alongside the operations in Yemen. Independent verification of frontline advances remains difficult due to restricted field access and active combat conditions.
