The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Sunday 20 September that they had carried out air strikes targeting Houthi personnel and equipment in Al Bayda governorate, amid escalating clashes between the group and Yemen’s internationally recognised government since last July.
Missile launchers and weapons stores destroyed
The spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces said the strikes destroyed missile launchers and an advanced communications system, as well as weapons and military equipment stores. The announcement came as part of operations that Yemeni forces say they are conducting against the Houthis on various battlefronts.
The Houthis had advanced, more than a week ago, along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, taking control of the main coastal city of Mokha and islands located in the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, according to information on developments in the fighting. Yemeni forces said they would redeploy, stressing that strikes and clashes against the Houthis would continue on all fronts.
In a related development, the Yemeni government warned that the Houthis’ approach towards the Bab al-Mandab area posed a threat to international shipping through the maritime passage. The Houthis, meanwhile, announced on Saturday that 73 of their personnel had been killed, including 25 military personnel holding ranks. The toll was included in the latest series of funeral announcements published by media outlets affiliated with the group.
The number of Houthi personnel whose funerals have been announced since mid-July thus rose to 413, amid continuing military clashes and escalating exchanges of strikes on a number of Yemeni fronts.
