Yemen16 September, 20262 min read
Yemeni Government Forces Clash With Houthi Fighters Near Saudi Border in Al-Jawf
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Yemeni government forces clashed with Houthi fighters in Al-Jawf near the Saudi border. Houthis seized Yemen's Red Sea coast, including Bab al-Mandab Strait, last week.
Clashes near Saudi border
Yemeni government forces clashed with Houthi fighters near the Saudi border in Al-Jawf province, with AFP footage showing soldiers in armoured vehicles and trucks pushing across desert terrain under machine-gun fire. Waleed Al-Mahajeri, operations commander of the government’s Fifth Brigade, told an embedded AFP journalist that “The First Division Emergency Forces are advancing on the Al-Labanat front and, God willing, will reach Houthi positions,” and he claimed that “Houthi militias are retreating and fleeing across all fronts”.
AFP footage also showed the soldiers firing heavy machine guns, artillery and RPGs at distant targets, alongside bodies of Houthi fighters and entrenchments the government forces said the group had abandoned as they fell back. The fighting comes after the Houthis seized the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for the export of Saudi oil, according to AFP.
Claims over jet and Mecca
The Houthis released footage of the fighting in the Al-Jawf area and also a video purporting to show the downing of a fighter jet belonging to Saudi Arabia, the group’s longtime foe and the Yemeni government’s main backer, according to AFP footage described by TRT World.
In the same reporting, Waleed Al-Mahajeri told an embedded AFP journalist that “The First Division Emergency Forces are advancing on the Al-Labanat front and, God willing, will reach Houthi positions,” while he claimed the “Houthi militias are retreating and fleeing across all fronts”.
Separately, The New York Times reported that a Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said on social media that the group had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemeni territory using a locally made missile.
The New York Times also said Saudi authorities accused the group of firing a drone near Mecca, and that Mr. Saree denied the allegation as “fabrication and lies.”
Escalation and oil stakes
The war in Yemen, which had been mostly dormant since 2022, roared back to life in July after the Houthis made rapid advances that saw them seize the entirety of the country’s Red Sea coast and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Dawn. Dawn also said Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government scrambled to respond to the new offensive, and that Saudi airstrikes have failed to roll back the Houthis’ gains.
Folha de S.Paulo said that this Wednesday (16) “Riyadh's forces bombarded numerous positions of Yemen's Houthis along the border between the two countries,” and that “the number of attacks this week reached 450, according to the command of the pro-Iran rebels”. Folha de S.Paulo further tied the escalation to maritime and oil stakes, saying Yanbu is Riyadh's main export port on the Red Sea and had been serving as an alternative due to obstruction of traffic in the Hormuz Strait, and it reported that fears included that up to 4% of the world’s oil could be blocked.