YEMEN’S NEW BATTLEFIELD
Ansarullah Advances From Red Sea to Ma’rib
SANA’A — Ansarullah-led Yemeni forces tightened their grip on the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Sunday and expanded attacks against Saudi targets as Saudi-backed forces struggled to recover from a sweeping defeat along Yemen’s western coast.
Yemeni forces launched a new missile-and-drone operation against a Saudi military base in Sharurah in Najran
province, targeting weapons depots and command centers, according to Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree.
The operation came as Ansarullah forces consolidated their control over strategic positions along the Red Sea coast after liberating the port city of Mocha and advancing to key locations around Bab al-Mandab.
The rapid offensive has driven Saudi forces and mercenary formations from large areas of the western coast and brought the strategic maritime gateway under the effective control of Yemeni forces. International reports on Sunday described the territorial gains as a major setback for Saudi Arabia and its mercenaries.
The Yemeni military has said the western-coast operation liberated more than 5,400 square kilometers and captured strategic ports, towns and positions that Saudi-backed forces had held since 2017 and 2018.
Ansarullah’s forces also secured Mayun Island, a strategically located island at the entrance to the Bab al-Mandab, following the capture of Mocha and other coastal positions. Reuters reported on Sunday that the capture of Perim Island had intensified concerns over regional oil and shipping routes.
The collapse of the Saudi-backed western front has opened new military and political possibilities for Ansarullah, with attention now increasingly focused on Ma’rib, one of the principal remaining strongholds of the Saudi-backed camp.
A report attributed to a reliable MES source said negotiations between Ansarullah and local tribal leaders in Ma’rib had reached an advanced stage and that the city could come under Ansarullah control next week.
The report said the negotiations are part of efforts to secure a peaceful transfer of control and avoid further destruction in the strategic governorate. The development could represent the next major breakthrough for Ansarullah following the rapid collapse of Saudi-backed positions on the western coast.
Saudi Arabia has responded to the advances with an intensive air campaign. General Saree said Saudi warplanes had carried out 129 airstrikes in 48 hours against seven Yemeni provinces, including Ta’izz, Ma’rib, Hudaydah, Al-Jawf, Sa’ada, Amran and Hajjah.
Sana’a’s Health Ministry said Sunday that Saudi attacks since Sept. 3 had killed 44 civilians and wounded 38 others, bringing the reported civilian toll to 82. The ministry said the attacks had struck several provinces, including Al-Jawf, Hudaydah, Ta’izz, Sa’ada, Sana’a and Hajjah.
Despite the intensified airstrikes, Ansarullah has continued operations against Saudi military and strategic targets.
The pressure is increasingly being felt inside Saudi Arabia’s energy sector. A Saudi East-West oil pipeline capable of carrying about 4 million barrels per day was severely damaged by drone attacks, threatening a major route for moving Saudi crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Reuters reported Sunday that prolonged disruption could remove roughly 4% of global oil supply from the market.
Saudi oil supply had already fallen to its lowest level in more than three decades. The International Energy Agency said Saudi crude supply dropped to about 6 million barrels per day in August, down 2.3 million barrels per day from the previous month, while crude loadings fell by about 1.1 million barrels per day to 3.5 million.
The pressure on Saudi exports has been compounded by the battle around Bab al-Mandab. Shipping through the strategic strait has fallen sharply, while the latest Yemeni advance has placed Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea export route under much greater pressure.
AP reported that shipping through Bab al-Mandab had already fallen by about 60% since Ansarullah began attacking selected ships in late 2023.
The disruption has rapidly spread to international energy markets. Brent crude moved above $100 a barrel on Sunday as traders assessed the combined impact of attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and disruption around the region’s strategic waterways.
The Saudi leadership has meanwhile turned to Washington for assistance. Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman asked U.S. President Donald Trump for direct military support against Ansarullah, but Washington declined to launch strikes, according to reports. Trump subsequently confirmed that he had spoken with the crown prince.
The latest developments leave Saudi-backed forces facing simultaneous pressure across Yemen while Ansarullah consolidates its western-coast gains, maintains pressure on Saudi military targets and prepares for the next phase of operations.
With Bab al-Mandab and the surrounding Red Sea positions now firmly at the center of the conflict, Ma’rib has emerged as the next major front on Ansarullah’s battlefield agenda, while Saudi Arabia confronts mounting pressure on its military positions, oil exports and access to international markets.