Yemen25 September, 20263 min read
Yemeni Forces Release Footage Showing Rujoum Drone Attacks on Saudi Troop Concentrations
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
New footage shows Rujoum drone strikes on Saudi troop concentrations and vehicles across fronts. Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced the footage via Telegram.
Drone and airstrike claims
Yemeni military media released new footage showing strikes on Saudi troop concentrations and vehicles using “Rujoum” drones across several fronts. Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said via Telegram, “The Saudi warplanes carried out 27 airstrikes over the past 24 hours using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft that took off from Khamis Mushait and Taif air bases.” Saree said the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure, including bridges, roads, and other sites, in the governorates of Taiz, Ma’rib, Saada, Amran, Ibb, and Hajjah, and he said the total number of Saudi aggression airstrikes and missile strikes since the beginning of the escalation reached 1,059.
DW reported that the Chiefs of Staff of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to start immediately applying the commitments of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed in August, which states that any attack against one of these countries would be considered an aggression against the three. Yemen’s Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Council, called on Friday for a general mobilization against the pro-Iran movement, saying, “I invite the sons of our great people to commit to the general mobilization (…) to join their armed forces and security.”
Taiz fighting and interceptions
Yemeni government forces said they struck Houthi positions and supply lines in the southwestern province of Taiz, and military spokesman Majid Abdullah al-Nazili published footage on X that he said showed strikes on Houthi fighters and supply routes in Dhubab and other parts of Taiz. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree separately claimed Saudi warplanes carried out 14 airstrikes and a missile attack in the previous 24 hours in the Taiz, Amran, Marib and Saada provinces. Saudi air defences intercepted two drones launched early on Saturday by Houthis toward the Riyadh region, and Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces were monitoring missile and drone threats directed toward the kingdom.
Al Jazeera said France confirmed on Friday that it is sending troops to guard the major oil terminal at Yanbu, while Saudi officials met with peers from Pakistan and Turkiye to discuss options under their mutual defence pact. Al Jazeera quoted Yemen’s Vice President Abdullah Abdulkader al-Alimi-Bawzer warning at the United Nations General Assembly that the Houthis were using shipping security “as a tool for blackmail,” adding, “It is taking hostage the entire global economy.”
Religious calls and regional stakes
Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh urged the forces of the Saudi-led Coalition to unite in confronting the Houthi group, saying, “You are at a great frontier, undertaking a noble mission; cling to the rope of God, unify your ranks, obey one another, and gather your word.” The Saudi-led coalition announced it intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles said to have been launched by the Houthis toward the kingdom, and it thwarted an attempted strike on Ta’if and Qassim, according to Akhbaar al-Ghad. France 24 said the Saudi Grand Mufti, Sheikh Salih bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, urged forces stationed at the kingdom’s borders to be ready to “sacrifice their lives” and confront the Iran-allied Houthi group.
Al Jazeera said Brent crude rose more than 3 percent on Thursday, briefly topping $108 a barrel, before easing to $105.77 on Friday morning, as it described pressure on Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. DW said the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed on August 7 in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and it said the meeting in Riyadh focused on “the security situation and the threats facing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”