Yemen’s Houthis announced a fresh wave of military operations targeting Saudi-linked assets, including a military transport vessel in the Red Sea and positions backed by Saudi Arabia inside Yemen, according to Press TV. The Houthi military spokesperson said the group had targeted Saudi forces, weapons depots and command centres in the Mocha area and the Tadawin camp in Marib Governorate with ballistic missiles and drones.
The spokesperson claimed the attacks were “precise” and caused dozens of casualties, including Saudi nationals. The group also warned that it would continue targeting Saudi troop concentrations, accusing Riyadh of seeking to escalate tensions and take control of Yemen.
The Houthis further called on those they accused of collaborating with their adversaries to abandon such cooperation, describing it as an act of treason.
Meanwhile, Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), vowed that the government would respond to the Houthi attacks and urged the group to end the conflict and enter the country’s political process.
Speaking to representatives of prominent media outlets, al-Alimi said “no action by the Houthi militias will go unanswered or unchecked”, according to Al Jazeera, which cited Yemen’s SABA news agency.
He also said there was still an opportunity for the Houthis “to lay down their arms, engage in political life, and compete through the ballot box on an equal footing with all other Yemenis”.
Red Sea attack raises maritime security concerns
The latest announcement comes days after at least six people were killed in a missile attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Yemen’s government blamed the Houthis for the attack, which involved three ballistic missiles fired at the Tihamah, a small cargo ship carrying food, according to CNN.
The strikes triggered a fire that killed four crew members, three Pakistanis and one Indonesian, and injured four other crew members and a rescue worker, the report said.
Yemen’s Transport Ministry said the vessel was hit a second time after a search and rescue operation had begun, describing the attack as an attempt to “endanger the lives of all onboard, including the rescue teams”.
The Yemeni Coast Guard later confirmed that two of those killed were rescue workers.
There was initially uncertainty over the vessel’s ownership. Yemeni officials and marine intelligence group Marisks said it was Saudi-owned, but MarineTraffic data showed that the Tihamah was sailing under the Tanzanian flag and was owned by companies registered in Egypt and Yemen.
The latest escalation also follows a Houthi missile and drone barrage targeting the Red Sea port of Al-Mokha in southwestern Yemen on August 9.
The port is in an area controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Al Jazeera, citing Yemen Today TV and state-run Saba TV, reported that the attack was followed by a statement from Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, who described the operation as “large-scale and precise”.
The renewed attacks come as tensions continue to rise around the Red Sea, where repeated strikes on commercial and military vessels have heightened concerns over the safety of shipping through the strategically important waterway.
(With ANI inputs)
