Houthis launch fresh ballistic missile attack on Yemen’s Red Sea port city
Sanaa, Aug 12 (IANS) Yemen’s Houthi group launched a fresh ballistic missile attack on the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Wednesday, stepping up its attacks on areas controlled by the internationally recognised government, pro-government media reported.
The pro-government Aljoumhouriya TV cited a port official as saying that two missile strikes hit the maritime pier, causing further damage to port facilities. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The latest attack came after two Houthi missile and drone attacks in Mocha since Sunday, leaving eight people, including four government soldiers, dead and dozens of others wounded, according to government sources.
The Houthis have said their recent strikes on Mocha targeted gatherings and positions of Saudi-backed forces, accusing them of preparing military operations against Houthi-held areas.
The Houthis have sharply intensified missile and drone attacks on government-held areas in Yemen and Saudi-linked targets in recent weeks, raising fears that the military escalation could unravel the relative calm that has largely prevailed since a United Nations-brokered truce took effect in 2022.
On Tuesday, the Houthis targeted what it described as a Saudi military equipment transport ship in the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, as well as Saudi-backed forces in the government-held areas of Mocha and Marib, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the Houthis’ military media centre said the group’s forces had carried out an operation targeting “a Saudi military equipment transport ship” in Bab al-Mandab. It did not identify the vessel or provide further details about the operation.
In a separate statement on X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones” targeted troop gatherings, weapons depots and command centers in Mocha, a coastal city in southwestern Taiz province, and at Tadawin military camp in the northeastern province of Marib.
Sarea claimed the strikes were “precise” and caused dozens of casualties, including Saudi personnel. There was no immediate confirmation of the claimed casualties from Saudi Arabia or the Yemeni government.
Meanwhile, pro-government Coast Guard troops said in an updated statement that the commercial vessel Tihamah came under repeated missile attacks while sailing through Bab al-Mandab earlier Tuesday, leaving six people dead and 10 others wounded.
Four of the dead were crew members – three Pakistanis and one Indonesian – while the other two were members of the pro-government 2nd Naval Forces Brigade, according to the statement.
The statement said seven other crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one member of the 2nd Naval Forces Brigade were wounded and are receiving medical treatment.
The Coast Guard said its troops, working with rescue teams from government forces, evacuated the casualties after the strikes sparked a fire aboard the vessel and caused significant damage.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints and a vital route for international trade and energy shipments.
–IANS
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