Sanaa holds Saudi Arabia accountable for Bab al-Mandab escalation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sanaa government has held Saudi Arabia fully responsible for the escalation of tensions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, accusing Riyadh of turning the strategic waterway into a military battleground to serve US and Israeli interests.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry urged the international community to pressure Saudi Arabia to respect the rights of the Yemeni people—primarily by lifting the blockade and halting military operations—rather than fueling the flames of war in regional waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.
Sanaa warned that Riyadh's militarization of Bab al-Mandab poses a genuine threat to international maritime navigation. The foreign ministry also condemned the international community for turning a blind eye to these actions, which it said align with the interests of the United States and the Zionist regime.
Following recent strikes on Saudi troop deployments along Yemen's western coast, the Sanaa foreign ministry reiterated its commitment to all international obligations regarding maritime safety. It emphasized that Yemen’s exercise of sovereignty over its territory, coasts, and territorial waters does not threaten global trade, but rather enhances its security.
On the ground, Sanaa forces are continuing their advances in Taiz province. Amid intensifying military clashes across several fronts, field reports indicate that some opposing brigades have fully surrendered their weapons to Sanaa forces.
Fierce fighting has raged in multiple regions of Yemen for weeks. The clashes escalated on Sunday when Saudi-backed forces launched a counter-offensive aimed at recapturing recently lost territories. In September, Sanaa forces took full control of Yemen's western coast, reaching the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint for global oil exports.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced early Thursday that Sanaa forces had targeted gatherings of Saudi troops at the Qa'wah camp in the Ras al-Arah region using several ballistic missiles.
According to Saree, the missiles struck their targets with high precision, resulting in numerous casualties among Saudi forces and igniting several weapons depots. Simultaneously, Saudi troop concentrations in southern Bab al-Mandab, the al-Suqya area, and Ras al-Arah were accurately targeted by a barrage of ballistic missiles, leaving dozens dead and wounded.
The military spokesman also reported on Wednesday that Yemeni forces successfully repelled Saudi reinforcements attempting to advance toward their positions in the eastern province of al-Jawf. The operation, which utilized ballistic missiles and combat drones, resulted in dozens of casualties and the destruction of several Saudi military vehicles.
Sanaa maintains that these military operations are conducted as part of its ongoing response to Saudi aggression and the direct targeting of civilian infrastructure in the provinces of Sanaa, Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, and Marib.