Yemen Launches Preemptive Strikes on Saudi Positions in Jizan

Yemen’s Armed Forces launched a preemptive operation targeting Saudi military positions in the Jizan region, including command centers, weapons depots and troop concentrations.

Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement on Thursday that the operation followed an escalation in Saudi attacks on Yemen’s border areas of Sa’ada and Hajjah, including the firing of more than 200 missiles from Jizan.

He said Yemeni forces had also observed a significant buildup of Saudi troops near the border ahead of possible further aggression.

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had conducted a preemptive and extensive operation using dozens of ballistic missiles and drones, describing it as a “qualitative” action carried out by the grace of Allah.

According to the spokesman, the strikes targeted operations rooms, command-and-control centers, weapons depots and other key facilities linked to Saudi reinforcements in the al-Tuwal area of Jizan, including the Sixth Emergency Division.

He said missile launch sites and platforms at the al-Daghareer camp in Jizan, along with several other Saudi military camps in the area, were also targeted.

Saree said the strikes were “precise and direct,” causing casualties among Saudi forces and allied personnel.

He said the operation killed or wounded hundreds of Saudi-aligned reinforcements, including Yemenis and Sudanese, as well as dozens of Saudi personnel and officers.

He also said that several Saudi weapons depots had been destroyed and caught fire.

Saree said the armed forces were operating with full force and determination, responding to threats and aggression while monitoring and targeting hostile movements wherever they occurred.

Top Yemeni military commanders have warned Saudi Arabia that their forces will continue responding to troop buildups with reciprocal escalation until what they describe as aggression ends and the blockade on Yemen is lifted.

“We will continue enforcing the equation of ‘a siege for a siege’ and ‘an escalation for an escalation,’ targeting Saudi military concentrations,” one commander said.

The commanders also threatened to damage Saudi Arabia’s economy and strike locations where Saudi officials may be seeking shelter.

The statement follows the expansion of Yemen’s Armed Forces along the western coastline and near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, where they have retaken areas formerly controlled by Saudi-backed forces.

Yemeni outlets reported that the forces had recently seized strategic heights in southwestern Lahij province overlooking the vital waterway and had also announced control of Perim Island, known in Arabic as Mayyun.

The Sana’a administration announced on July 20 that it had imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, citing what it described as a prolonged siege of Yemen lasting about 12 years.

Yemen’s armed forces announced that they had carried out several successful military operations against vessels linked to Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

The developments have put further pressure on Saudi Arabia’s already limited oil exports.

According to the Financial Times, Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production fell 23% to 6.2 million barrels per day in August, while crude exports declined from 5.1 million bpd to 3.1 million bpd.

Rising shipping costs and reduced access to export routes have prompted Saudi Aramco to lower crude prices for buyers in Asia.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a sweeping blockade on Yemen while launching a major military offensive.

The United States and several Western nations supported the aggression by providing military aid, political backing and logistical assistance.

The war has killed tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians. However, Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve its stated objective of reinstating a subordinate administration aligned with its strategic interests.