SANA’A – Yemen’s Armed Forces say they have carried out a large-scale missile and drone operation against Saudi-backed forces in the provinces of Marib and Hadramawt, marking another sharp escalation in the country’s long running conflict.
Military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the operation was launched after Yemeni forces detected what he described as extensive military preparations by Saudi-backed troops for an offensive against areas controlled by the Ansarallah movement, according to Press TV Iran.
According to Saree, ballistic missiles and drones struck troop gathering points and military camps in al-Ruwaik, al-Abr, and al-Thaniyah, as well as bases belonging to the so-called First Brigade and Third Readiness Brigade. He claimed the strikes left hundreds of fighters dead or wounded and destroyed weapons depots, military vehicles, and other facilities in the al-Wadiah area of eastern Yemen. The casualty figures and damage claims could not be independently verified.
The military warned Saudi Arabia against launching further attacks, saying any new military action would be met with a direct response. It also urged Yemeni forces allied with Riyadh to withdraw from frontline positions to avoid further confrontation.
Mohammed Shouka, a member of Ansarallah’s Political Bureau, described the operation as a preemptive strike, saying it followed intelligence indicating that Saudi-backed forces were preparing a large-scale assault on Sana’a.
The latest developments come amid growing tensions between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Last month, Saudi airstrikes targeted Sana’a International Airport, disrupting humanitarian flights carrying patients and stranded civilians. In response, Yemeni forces announced missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport and later declared a naval blockade aimed at Saudi shipping.
President of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, has insisted that lasting peace depends on the complete lifting of the Saudi-led blockade and an end to military operations. He warned that without those steps, negotiations would remain unlikely to produce a lasting settlement.
The conflict, which began in 2015, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and continues to fuel one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
