Yemeni government forces have conducted air strikes on Houthi positions across the country amid ongoing conflict for control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The military announced that their warplanes targeted Houthi militia positions in al-Barah, south of Hodeidah, and in the western outskirts of Marib. Additional strikes were reported in al-Lubnat, al-Alam, and the al-Jawf governorate center, with the military claiming to have inflicted significant casualties and equipment losses on the Houthis.
Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthis, stated on Monday that their forces shot down three Saudi drones within the past 24 hours. He reported that a Saudi CH-4 armed reconnaissance drone was downed over al-Jawf province while allegedly conducting hostile activities, and a Saudi-owned Wing Loong II armed reconnaissance drone was shot down in al-Bayda governorate.
The Houthis have enforced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia since July and have targeted Saudi shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The ongoing conflict has intensified as both the Houthis and government forces vie for control of this critical waterway, which has become increasingly important for Saudi oil exports following Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in February, in response to the US-Israel war on Iran.
On Friday, Yemen’s internationally recognized government initiated a series of air strikes against multiple Houthi positions as the Houthis sought to advance through western Taiz and southern Hodeidah towards al-Makha (Mocha) and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.