Yemeni Forces Counterattack Houthi Rebels: "We Regained Control of Key Red Sea Chokepoint"

[Anchor]

Physical clashes are intensifying around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, a vital oil shipping lane. After Yemeni forces recaptured the strait and coastal cities previously seized by Houthi rebels, the Houthis retaliated by striking mainland Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that the attacks reached areas close to where South Korean companies operate.

Reporter Kim Minpyo has the details.

[Reporter]

This is combat footage released by the Yemeni government forces.

Troops engage in a firefight with Houthi rebels while moving along a road in Dhubab, a strategic coastal town along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The government forces claimed that following Dhubab, they also recaptured the port city of Mocha, reclaiming control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after a month.

[Tawfiq Al-Haboun / Yemeni Government Force Commander (translated): The Houthi forces are different from before. They are using qualitatively superior weapons, such as long-range missiles including drones and ballistic missiles.]

The government forces' general offensive, codenamed Operation Golden Arrow, was spearheaded by around 100,000 ground troops, with air support from 100 fighter jets provided by the Saudi-led coalition.

The United States is also providing indirect support by dispatching about 200 military intelligence experts to Saudi Arabia to help select airstrike targets.

In response, the Houthi rebels surrounded Taiz, the country's third-largest city in the southwest, and claimed to have captured the government stronghold of Al-Turbah.

They also launched attacks on Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport and an oil refinery belonging to the state-run oil company Saudi Aramco.

Dormitories for employees building a Hyundai Motor plant are located in Rabigh, where the attacked Aramco refinery is situated, but fortunately, no casualties or damage have been reported.

[Yahya Saree / Houthi Rebel Spokesperson (translated): We warn all international airlines operating in Saudi airspace to suspend their flights, as it has become a military operation zone of our armed forces.]

Amid the back-and-forth battles, Türkiye and Pakistan—which signed joint defense agreements with Saudi Arabia in August—have decided to dispatch troops to Saudi Arabia, stepping up military intervention.

The clashes among the Iran-backed Houthis, Saudi Arabia, and the Yemeni government forces, which have escalated due to the conflict between the United States and Iran, are now spreading into a multilateral armed conflict.

[Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.