Riyadh: The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government said on Monday, October 5, that 100 fighter jets had participated in “Operation Dawn of Yemen” against Houthi forces, with 324 high-value targets destroyed since the offensive began.
Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the coalition was providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni forces on the ground. He also said coalition aircraft were supporting efforts to secure the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait and that operations against moving targets were continuing.
The announcement followed the launch of the Yemeni government’s offensive, announced by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi, to regain territory controlled by the Houthis and restore the authority of the internationally recognised government.
Yemeni government forces reported advances in areas surrounding Bab Al-Mandab. Military officials said forces had taken positions in the Dhubab area, including locations overlooking the strait, and had cut a road linking Dhubab with Mokha. The claims could not immediately be independently verified, while Houthi-affiliated media disputed reports of government advances.
Yemeni military officials also said they had carried out 1,122 operations targeting Houthi positions, including artillery and rocket-launcher sites, defensive positions, supply routes and command centres. They claimed that 1,747 Houthi members had been neutralised. These battlefield figures were issued by the Yemeni military and could not be independently verified.
The Bab Al-Mandab Strait is a strategically important shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, making developments around the waterway significant for international maritime trade.
Saudi East-West Oil Pipeline Halted Again
Separately, operations on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline were halted again after an attack damaged a pumping station near Khurais, east of Riyadh, according to a source in the Saudi energy sector cited by AFP.
The pumping facility reportedly suffered significant damage, forcing the pipeline to stop operating. The disruption came a day after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities, including sites in the Khurais area. Saudi authorities had not publicly confirmed responsibility for the pipeline attack at the time of reporting.
The East-West pipeline is a major route for transporting Saudi crude from oil-producing areas in the east to the Red Sea coast. The pipeline had also been shut between September 11 and September 22, according to commodity-tracking data cited in reports.
The latest developments add to concerns over energy supplies and shipping routes as military activity intensifies around Yemen and the wider Middle East.
