The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government recognized by the international community, has reported the start of a new operation aimed at "neutralizing the vital sources" that sustain the current offensive of the Houthi rebels, whom it accuses of using "civilian facilities" for military purposes.
The announcement was made by the military spokesman of the alliance, Turki al Maliki, through a statement in which he detailed that the mission seeks to "neutralize the capabilities that the Houthi militia uses to threaten the Kingdom, Yemen, the southern Red Sea, and the maritime corridors."
According to Al Maliki, these "capabilities" would be "civilian facilities" used by the insurgents to sustain their attacks. Among the mentioned targets are "the central station of Al Sabaha in Sana'a," the capital of the country, as well as "underground fuel reserves, fuel tanks, and terminals intended for the transport and unloading of fuel in Hodeida, Sana'a, and Damar."
"The terrorist Houthi militia uses these facilities to directly support their terrorist military operations, depriving the Yemeni people of resources that should legitimately be allocated to meet their needs," denounced the Saudi spokesman, who linked the use of these infrastructures to the maintenance of their "arsenal of missiles and drones that threaten" Saudi Arabia, "as well as the security of airports, seaports, and commercial vessels in the Red Sea."
Al Maliki insisted that "the Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations directed against civilians and civilian property, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and infrastructure," while emphasizing that the forces under Riyadh's command "have taken all possible precautions to avoid incidental civilian casualties or damage during the planning and execution of this operation."
Houthi response and dispute over the military value of Al Sabaha
In parallel, the military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Sari, has assured that the rebel forces have been "repelling combat formations of the Saudi enemy targeting the capital, Sana'a," and has warned that "any attack" against the city "will receive a hard and painful response in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh."
After the coalition explicitly mentioned the Al Sabaha center as one of the targets of the operation, Sari has maintained that it "lacks petroleum products and that attacking it has no military value."
Later, the same Houthi spokesman denounced that the Saudi aviation has carried out up to "104 airstrikes and missile attacks against civilian areas in the capital, Sana'a, and in the governorates of Damar, Taiz, Amran, Lahj, Yauf, Marib, Sada, and Hodeida."
These bombings, "executed with F-15 and Typhoon aircraft from the air bases of Jamis Mushait and Taif, as well as through missile launches from Najrán, have caused civilian casualties," Sari added.
Civilian casualties and attacks in various governorates
The Houthi spokesman for Health, Anis Alasbahi, has reported in several messages disseminated on social media that at least five civilians have lost their lives and four others have been injured as a result of the current Saudi military campaign.
According to Alasbahi, the highest number of casualties is recorded in Hodeida. In this governorate, two people have died and two others have been injured following an attack by the Saudi Air Force against oil company facilities in Ras Issa, where the health official has spoken of "civilian casualties."
Also in Hodeida, Alasbahi pointed out in another message that "two civilians have died due to a landmine left by mercenaries backed by Saudi Arabia" in the district of Hays.
Further north, in the border governorate of Sada, "one citizen has died and two others have been injured due to artillery fire carried out by enemy Saudi border guards against the Al Waqar area," the health spokesman denounced, while the Saba agency, linked to the rebels, raises the death toll to two citing local sources.