[Anchor]

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

Reporter Kim Minpyo has the details.

[Reporter]

This is combat footage released by the Yemeni government forces.

They are shown moving along the roads in Dubab, a strategic coastal stronghold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, exchanging gunfire with Houthi rebels.

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

[Tawfiq Al-Habun / Yemeni Government Forces Commander (translated): The Houthi forces are different from before. They are using high-quality weapons, such as drones and long-range missiles like ballistic missiles.]

The government forces' general offensive, named Operation Yemeni Dawn, was spearheaded by approximately 100,000 ground troops, with the Saudi-led coalition providing airstrike support by mobilizing 100 fighter jets.

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

In response, the Houthi rebels surrounded Taiz, the southwestern third-largest city, and claimed to have captured Turbah, a government forces stronghold.

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

Rabigh, where the attacked Aramco refinery is located, houses employee quarters for those constructing a Hyundai Motor plant, though no casualties or damages have been reported so far.

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

Amid the back-and-forth battles, Turkey and Pakistan—which signed a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia last August—decided to dispatch troops to Saudi Arabia, stepping up their military intervention.

The clashes between the pro-Iranian Houthis, Saudi Arabia, and the Yemeni government, fueled by the conflict between the United States and Iran, are now escalating into a multilateral armed dispute.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol)