Published Updated

Yemen28 September, 20263 min read

Yemeni Government Forces Target Houthis Across Sanaa, Taiz, and Saudi Aramco After Missile Strikes

This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.

Houthis attacked Riyadh and Aramco Yanbu, wounding 73 and targeting energy facilities. Yemeni government forces conducted airstrikes against Houthi targets across Taiz, Sanaa, and Marib.

Read the story
Yemeni Government Forces Target Houthis Across Sanaa, Taiz, and Saudi Aramco After Missile Strikes
Image: 巴士的報

Sanaa and Taiz Escalate

Yemeni government forces carried out 257 precise targeting operations against the Houthi movement, with Majed al-Nizili saying the strikes included Sanaa, Midi, Abs, al-Jawf, Ma’rib, al-Bayda, and Lhaj and concentrated effort on the Taiz frontlines. Majed al-Nizili said the operations used air force, drones, artillery, and missiles, targeting command and control centers, gatherings, and supply lines, and he added that they resulted in the neutralization of no less than 700 militiamen and the destruction of 170 combat vehicles. Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthis, announced that forces bombed Saudi Aramco in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones in response to the targeting of Sanaa, and he said the operation “achieved its objective successfully,” causing fires at the targeted sites.

The Yemeni army’s Taiz Military Axis said government forces controlled al-Muqarman and al-Zakiyra in the al-Shamaytīn district south of Taiz and controlled the Sam’a fortress after fierce battles left dozens of Houthis dead or wounded. The fighting also spread humanitarian repercussions, as the Al-Jazirah Net account said displacement waves widened in cities of Hais and al-KhSh in Hodeidah and four districts in Taiz, most notably Mokha and Bab al-Mandab.

Image from 1470 & 100.3 WMBD
Image: 1470 & 100.3 WMBD
Reporting for this sectionAl-Jazirah Net

Competing Claims and Diplomacy

Brigadier General Yahya Saree said via Telegram that over the past 24 hours Saudi warplanes launched 60 airstrikes and missile attacks targeting civilian sites in the governorates of Sana’a, Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, and Marib, and he added that this brought the total number of Saudi-led strikes to 1,410 since the escalation began. Majed al-Nizili told reporters that the Yemeni army carried out an operation against what it described as “vital and legitimate military targets” in Sanaa, while the Houthis’ Al-Masirah channel attributed airstrikes on Sanaa to Saudi Arabia. The Al-Quds al-Arabi account said the Saudi Crown Prince الأمير محمد بن سلمان affirmed the kingdom’s support for the internationally recognized Yemeni government and its resolve to confront the Houthi attacks, and it quoted him saying, “the Kingdom confirms its comprehensive support, through the التحالف لدعم الشرعية للحكومة اليمنية.”

The same Al-Quds al-Arabi account said the Saudi Foreign Minister فيصل بن فرحان met his American counterpart ماركو روبيو in Washington on 28 September to discuss the situation in Yemen, and it said the statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed protecting navigation security and freedom of passage in international waterways, especially the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb straits. The BBC described the Houthis’ claim that Saudi Arabia launched 26 airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and targeted an Aramco facility in Riyadh, while the Yemeni army said it carried out an operation against military targets in Sanaa and the group announced it had targeted an Aramco facility in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones.

Image from @facebookapp
Image: @facebookapp
Reporting for this sectionAl-Manar TV LebanonAl-Quds Al-Arabi

Regional Stakes and Next Steps

Reuters-style reporting in the Mont Karlo ad-Dawliya account said Saudi Arabia was studying launching an attack on the Houthis to break the blockade announced by the group backed by Iran, and it said estimates of the start date ranged from within a week to after the U.S. midterm elections in early November. The Mont Karlo ad-Dawliya account said officials spoke of the possibility of mobilizing more than 100,000 Yemeni troops depending on the scope of the operation, and it said Yemeni forces would lead the operation on the ground under Riyadh’s supervision with the support of Saudi airstrikes. The same account said Riyadh concluded it could not enter into new Yemeni peace negotiations with the Houthis while the militants continued to control Bab-el-Mandeb, which it described as giving them significant global leverage.

The Al-Quds al-Arabi account said UN warnings linked the escalation to consequences for security of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and it described ongoing fighting on several fronts including Taiz and the western coast. The Al-Shuruq lilakhbar account said Saudi Civil Defense announced that an enemy projectile launched by the Houthi group in Yemen fell on a school in the city of Najran, causing material damage, and it quoted the spokesperson saying, “resulting in material damage.”

Reporting for this sectionMont Karlo ad-DawliyaAl-Shuruq lilakhbar