SANA’A (Dispatches) -- Thousands of Saudi mercenaries have reportedly been dispatched to Ta’izz as the Yemeni Armed Forces scored significant military gains, taking control of large swathes of the province’s territory and advancing towards al-Mokha port.
According to Yemeni sources, reinforcements from the so-called Giants Brigades and the Nation’s Shield Forces have arrived on fronts in both Ta’izz and Hudaydah in an attempt to stem the advance of Yemeni forces.
The clashes, which have been taking place since Thursday, have proven costly for the mercenary forces. Media reports, citing sources from within the mercenary ranks, confirmed that at least 39 Saudi mercenaries, including senior commanders, have been killed. Dozens of others have reportedly fled the battlefields.
The Yemeni forces, backed by rocket and drone attacks, launched a ground assault near the Red Sea coast and around Ta’izz on Thursday, which appears to have caught the mercenary forces off guard. 
Sources also announced new Yemeni drone attacks on al-Mokha port, which has served as one of the main entry points for weapons and equipment for the mercenaries in recent months. The port has been the target of dozens of Yemeni missile and drone attacks.
Mokha’s location is strategically significant, lying on the Red Sea near Bab el-Mandab, a vital passage for a significant share of global maritime trade. The fighting along Yemen’s western coast is considered the most serious in years, not only because of its intensity but also because of its location.
Western Ta’izz provides a crucial link between the mountainous interior and the Red Sea coastline. Control of the roads, mountain positions, and coastal areas in the region can affect the movement of forces and supplies between Yemen’s interior and the coast, giving the fighting a strategic dimension that extends beyond the immediate battle lines.
The clashes come as Yemen’s armed forces have intensified their retaliatory attacks against key targets in Saudi Arabia and tightened their blockade on the kingdom. 
The current maritime blockade is a direct response to the devastating, years-long siege imposed on Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition. 
For nearly a decade, the coalition has enforced a crippling land, sea, and air blockade, which the United Nations has repeatedly described as a primary driver of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The siege has deliberately targeted Yemen’s ability to import food, fuel, and medicine, while simultaneously attempting to plunder the nation’s oil and gas resources. 
Utilizing their advanced asymmetric naval capabilities, including drones and missiles, Yemen has shifted from a purely defensive posture to an active pressure campaign. 
The strategy is designed to inflict direct economic and military costs on the Saudi regime until the siege is permanently lifted, the war is ended, and Yemen’s full sovereignty is restored.