Submitted by South Front,
The escalation of hostilities in Yemen is a fact, as Ansar Allah are attempting to capture Marib city once again. On September 5th, the Houthis (as Ansar Allah are known) claimed they had attacked several targets in eastern, western and southern Saudi Arabia as part of a large-scale operation.
A total of 16 missiles and drones were launched during the course of the operation. Specifically, eight Samad-3 suicide drones and a Zulfiqar ballistic missile targeted vital facilities of oil giant Aramco at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia’s main oil port on the Persian Gulf, in the Eastern province.
Two Samad-3 suicide drones and five Badir artillery rockets were fired at different facilities of Aramco in the western Saudi province of Makkah as well as in the southern provinces of Jizan and Najran.
The Saudi-led coalition claimed that its air-defenses had interpreted three ballistic missiles and three suicide drones, footage allegedly proving this fact was released.
Still, explosions were reported on the ground in several areas. The usual, regular Houthi attack includes just a few missiles or one drone, but this is much more significant, after a lull in a fighting in August. The previous such operation took place in March 2021 and also boasted more than a dozen missiles and drones being launched by Ansar Allah.
Meanwhile, in southern Yemen’s Aden, which serves as the capital of Yemen’s puppet government, a Saudi-led coalition commander was assassinated by an IED that struck his vehicle.
It is unknown who was behind the attack that killed Major General Musa Mohsen al-Mashdali on September 4. Suspicions either point towards the Houthis or the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). The STC is conditionally part of the Saudi-backed coalition but mostly operates towards its own interest and those of the UAE, as such clashes of interests and of forces have happened in the past.
A final option is that an ISIS attack left him killed, as a result of the poor security measures in the areas under Saudi control.
Around Marib city, fighting is almost constant, with a back-and-forth on the ground between Ansar Allah and the Saudi-led coalition. Riyadh’s forces continue carrying out at least 10 airstrikes on various Houthi positions each day, while Yemen’s movement responds with frequent drone and missile attacks on targets within the Kingdom.
Neither are quite successful, as the airstrikes usually cause no casualties, while Saudi Arabia boasts of intercepting most, if not all of the Houthis projectiles.
It is now just a matter of time until various international organizations, as well as NGOs begin calling for the Houthis to halt their attacks as a “humanitarian disaster” is looming over Yemen each time Ansar Allah has any success.
