Sana’a, August 13: Yemen’s Houthi group on Wednesday announced military operations targeting Saudi-linked assets, including a military transport vessel in the Red Sea and positions in Yemen’s Marib and Mocha areas, according to Press TV.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted troop concentrations, weapons depots and command centres in the Mocha area and at Tadawin camp in Marib Governorate using ballistic missiles and drones. He claimed the attacks caused casualties, including among Saudi personnel.
The spokesperson said the group would continue targeting Saudi-backed forces and called on those supporting them to stop what the Houthis described as collaboration with their adversaries.
Meanwhile, Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, said the government would respond to Houthi attacks and called on the group to end the fighting and enter the country’s political process.
Speaking to representatives of media outlets, al-Alimi said no Houthi action would go unanswered and urged the group to lay down its arms and participate in political life through elections.
The latest announcement follows an attack earlier this month on the cargo vessel Tihamah in the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Yemeni authorities attributed the attack to the Houthis. According to the Yemeni Ministry of Transport, three ballistic missiles struck the vessel, which was carrying food.The attack caused a fire in which crew members were killed and others injured. The ministry said the vessel was struck again after a search-and-rescue operation had begun, putting crew members and rescue personnel at risk. Yemeni Coast Guard officials later said two of those killed were rescue workers.
There was initially uncertainty over the ownership of the Tihamah. While Yemeni officials and maritime intelligence reports identified it as Saudi-owned, vessel-tracking data showed that it was sailing under the Tanzanian flag and was owned by companies registered in Egypt and Yemen.
The latest development also follows a Houthi missile and drone attack on the Red Sea port of Al-Mokha in southwestern Yemen on August 9. The port is located in an area controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
The attacks come amid continued tensions in and around the Red Sea, where strikes involving commercial and military vessels have raised concerns over the security of maritime traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.