100 jets of Saudi coalition deployed, 324 Houthi targets hit

The Saudi led coalition that backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government made a statement on Monday, October 5. It said 100 jets have taken part in “Operation Dawn of Yemen” since it began. The coalition also said 324 key targets have been destroyed since the start of the operation.

Mr. Turki al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman and a major general, shared the news in a post on X. He said coalition forces are giving round the clock air support to the Yemeni armed forces. He added that the coalition air force is keeping the Bab al-Mandab Strait safe. He also said operations against ongoing targets are continuing.

The statement came after the Yemeni government announced “Operation Dawn of Yemen” against the Houthi forces. Government forces have made gains in several areas. Mr. Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, posted on X about the goals. He said the operation aims to rebuild state institutions, free the capital Sanaa and end Houthi control. He said the armed forces and other military units are carrying it out with help from allies.

The Yemeni military said separately that it has carried out 1,122 precise operations on Houthi positions. It claims 1,747 Houthi members have been wiped out. Mr. Majed Abdullah al-Nujaili, the military spokesman and a colonel, gave details. He said the targets include artillery and rocket launcher positions, defensive forts, supply routes, reinforcement forces and command and control centers.

Reports say the operation is running on several fronts, including Saada, al-Jawf, Taiz and the west coast of Yemen. Government forces have reported gains around the strategic Bab al-Mandab area. Mr. al-Nujaili said government forces took key positions near Dhubab and the strait. They also took control of Dhubab airport and cut the road that links Dhubab with Mokha.

Saba reported, citing military sources, that the Yemeni armed forces pushed Saudi backed forces out of al-Mawasit district in Taiz governorate. It said they then moved toward Mr. al-Alimi’s residence. The sources said this gain came after Saudi military forces pulled out of the district.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is at the center of this operation. It is a key route for international shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The coalition said its air operations will continue to support Yemeni forces and to protect this waterway.

Saudi East West oil pipeline disrupted after new attack

An energy source told AFP on Monday that Saudi Arabia’s East West oil pipeline has been shut down again. The shutdown came after an attack on a pumping facility near Khurais, east of Riyadh. The source said this facility had never been a target before. This time it was badly damaged, so the pipeline had to stop work.

Kpler, a platform that tracks commodity data, said the pipeline was also shut earlier, from September 11 to September 22. The new attack came one day after the Iran backed Houthis of Yemen claimed attacks on Saudi Aramco oil sites, including the Khurais facility. The East West pipeline has been hit several times since the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.

The pipeline is a very important part of Saudi Arabia’s oil export network. It gives an alternative route to carry crude oil from the oil producing eastern region of the country to the Red Sea coast.