The Royal Saudi Air Force has carried out a military operation in the Red Sea port city of Mokha, Yemen, resulting in the deaths of six people and leaving eight others injured.

According to a report published on Tuesday by the Yemen-based Saba News Agency, Saudi warplanes bombed Mokha late Monday night.

All casualties are reported to be civilians, including two children and one woman among the injured.

Saudi Arabia launched its aerial campaign in Yemen on September 8.

Leaders of the Iran-backed Houthi armed group stated that the Saudi air force has significantly intensified airstrikes in recent days, targeting Houthi-controlled areas as well as various military and logistical installations.

Houthi high command figures noted that between September 11 and September 18—a span of seven days—the Saudi air force conducted approximately 300 operations.

On Wednesday, September 16, Houthi forces shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet, subsequently posting a video of the wreckage on social media.

Furthermore, Houthi forces have recently launched multiple attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure, causing considerable damage to Riyadh.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group escalated sharply in the final week of August.

Following several missile strikes that inflicted significant damage on Saudi energy assets, Houthi fighters seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden—on the night of September 11.

This development poses a major strategic setback for Saudi Arabia, particularly because closures of the Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran tensions had forced Riyadh to rely on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the export of the vast majority of its petroleum.
Source: AFP