Sanaa forces repel two Saudi-backed advances, reveal surprise naval landing
SANAA, Oct. 10 (YPA) – Yemen’s Sanaa-based armed forces announced on Friday that they had repelled two military attacks that they said targeted their positions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait in southwestern Yemen.
The attacks reportedly involved armed factions backed by Saudi Arabia and aerial support.
The armed forces said they had thwarted attempts to advance toward the strategically important island of Mayyun and areas in the southwestern parts of Taiz and Lahj province.
The Yemen Press Agency quoted military sources as saying that the defending forces had prepared a defensive plan in advance to deal with any ground assault.
This came amid dozens of Saudi airstrikes, the sources said, adding that the attacking forces were surprised by field preparations that prevented them from achieving their objectives.
According to the sources, the first attack coincided with extensive military movements involving vehicles, heavy equipment and support from warplanes and drones toward Mayyun Island, which overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
A separate advance targeted the Bab al-Mandab market in an attempt to breach positions held by Sanaa forces. The sources said the attacking forces failed to make any advances during the initial clashes, which lasted about six hours.
They then regrouped and launched a second attack, triggering fierce fighting.
The sources added that during the second confrontation, Sanaa forces carried out a maritime landing operation that they said helped reinforce their fighters and strengthen their ability to repel the attack.
This reportedly forced the attacking forces to withdraw to their positions in Lahj governorate, according to the military sources cited by the Yemen Press Agency. Separate accounts from military experts and activists said the clashes left about 500 people killed or wounded on both sides. However, the casualty figure has not been independently confirmed, and no verified details are available on how the losses were distributed between the parties.
Meanwhile, Waddah al-Halmi, secretary-general of the so-called Arab Southern Transitional Council, mourned in a post on X Muadh Ali Saleh al-Dhalei, a commander in the Giants Brigades, who he said had been killed by Sanaa forces alongside a large number of his comrades.
In a related statement on Friday, Brigadier General Yahya Sarie, the military spokesman for Sanaa forces, announced that they had repelled a second attack within hours. He said they had thwarted an advance by Saudi-backed forces from Lahj governorate toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Saree said the attacking forces had made no progress, adding that Sanaa forces had targeted Saudi-backed military build-ups with ballistic missiles, artillery fire and heavy weapons. The announcement comes amid escalating confrontations around one of the region’s most important strategic maritime passages.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and serves as a major route for international trade and shipping. Separately, media outlets affiliated with Sanaa forces denied statements attributed to Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber claiming that Saudi forces had taken control of Mayyun Island.
They released video footage that they said showed Sanaa forces continuing to maintain a presence on the island. Mayyun Island holds exceptional strategic importance because of its location at the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Any military developments there could have implications for the balance of control in the southern Red Sea and for maritime traffic through the area.
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