Fighting for the mountainous area east of the Red Sea port of Mocha forms part of a broader coastal campaign; the sides give conflicting accounts of the clashes.
Yemeni forces aligned with the internationally recognised government have launched an operation in the mountainous district of al-Waziiya in Taiz governorate. The offensive began on Tuesday, October 6, as part of a wider campaign along the Red Sea coast and near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Al Jazeera reported.
Yemen’s army media centre said the pro-government Homeland Shield Forces had begun a large-scale operation. Citing a military source, it said the forces had taken strategic hills overlooking the al-Mansoura area and that Houthi fighters were retreating. The Houthis, by contrast, said they had repelled the advance. The supplied reports do not independently verify which side controls the heights.
Al-Waziiya lies west of Taiz city and east of the Red Sea port of Mocha. The mountainous district is important to control of approaches to the port. Al Jazeera, citing its correspondent in Sanaa, said government forces would need to control the area if they intended to secure Mocha.
The offensive is part of “Dawn of Yemen,” an operation announced by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council. On Sunday, al-Alimi said the aim was to retake the remaining territory held by the Houthis, including the capital, Sanaa, which the group has controlled since 2014.
The situation around Mocha remains unclear. Anadolu Agency reported on October 6 that Yemeni government forces said they had retaken the port city, while the supplied Al Jazeera report describes the Houthis as having seized Mocha the previous month. Given the conflicting accounts, this article does not assert who controls the city.
The fighting is unfolding amid an escalation around the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile headed towards Khamis Mushait in the kingdom’s southwest. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said the missile threats originated in Houthi-held Sanaa, Saada and Amran governorates.
Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jazan and Najran Airport, near the Yemeni border, had been attacked. The authority reported three people injured, with injuries of varying severity, and material damage. The injured were taken to hospital. The Houthis said late on Monday that they had targeted sites in southern Saudi Arabia, including airports and military facilities.
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed it was participating in the Yemeni government’s offensive and said 100 fighter jets were providing air support. Pakistan and Türkiye, according to the report, also agreed to activate deterrence measures under their mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia and to deploy forces quickly to the kingdom to counter Houthi attacks.