"The Coalition" Announces Details of "Military Operation in Hodeidah" Aimed at "Protecting Navigation Security in Bab al-Mandab"

- The "Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen" led by Saudi Arabia announced on Monday the "thwarting of a plot for imminent attacks targeting maritime passages south of the Red Sea." The official spokesman for the "coalition," Turki Al-Maliki, stated via the "X" platform (formerly Twitter) that "the coalition's naval forces carried out a military operation in Al-Hudaydah Governorate, which included the destruction of legitimate military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist militia.",

He continued: "We thwarted a plot for imminent attacks targeting maritime passages south of the Red Sea, and we destroyed weapons caches, storage facilities for explosive boats, and naval mines." He clarified that the operation is "part of the coalition's objectives to protect maritime navigation security at the Bab al-Mandab Strait."

The statements came after the internationally recognized Yemeni government forces announced the "regaining control over key sites" near the strait, which is a vital passage for global trade in the Red Sea, as part of their new campaign to reclaim gains recently achieved by the Iran-backed Houthi movement. The military spokesman for the government forces, Majid Al-Nazili, stated via the "X" platform that the government forces "succeeded in controlling Bab al-Mandab," adding that they have "cut off" the road between the Dhubab area, overlooking Bab al-Mandab, and the coastal city of Al-Mokha, which was previously under Houthi control, and took control of it.

The Afaq News Network could not independently verify this claim. It was reported that Saudi-backed forces "also began to carry out a strategic offensive operation" against the capital Sana'a, which is controlled by the Houthis.

If this attack succeeds, it could weaken the Houthis' grip on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, where their attacks on Saudi oil exports, which have been diverted away from the Strait of Hormuz, threaten to push prices higher just weeks before the U.S. midterm elections. The Red Sea has become an increasingly important alternative export route since the war with Iran has severely disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Yemeni news agency "Saba", which is run by the Houthis, denied reports of advances by Yemeni forces and the Saudi-led "coalition". The agency quoted an unnamed military source as saying that the alleged gains are "illusory" and represent "an attempt to cover up repeated failures and defeats." This comes after the Saudi-led coalition pledged on Sunday to provide full support to the internationally recognized Yemeni government in its campaign to regain control of the territory.