Riyadh: The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government said on Monday, October 5, that 100 fighter jets had taken part in the launch of “Operation Dawn of Yemen”, with 324 high-value targets destroyed since the operation began.
Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said in a post on X that the coalition was providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni armed forces on the ground. He added that its air forces were securing the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and that operations against moving targets were continuing.
The announcement came after Yemen launched “Operation Dawn of Yemen” against Houthi forces, with government forces advancing in several areas.
Taking to X, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi said the operation had begun to restore state institutions, liberate the capital Sana’a and end Houthi control. He said the campaign was being carried out by Yemen’s armed forces and other military formations with the support of allies.
The Yemeni military separately said it had carried out 1,122 precision operations against Houthi positions, claiming that 1,747 members of the group had been neutralised.
Military spokesman Colonel Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili said the operations targeted artillery and rocket-launcher positions, defensive fortifications, supply routes, reinforcements and command-and-control centres.
The operations were reported across several fronts, including Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and areas along Yemen’s western coast.
Yemeni government forces also reported advances around the strategic Bab Al-Mandab area. Al-Nuzaili said government forces had taken control of Dhubab and positions overlooking the strait, as well as Dhubab airport, while cutting the road linking Dhubab with Mokha.
A military source told Saba News Agency that Yemeni Armed Forces had pushed Saudi-backed forces out of Al-Mawasit district in Taiz governorate and advanced towards the residence of Al-Alimi. The source said the advance followed the removal of Saudi military deployments from the district.
The Bab Al-Mandab Strait remains a key focus of the operation because of its importance to international shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The coalition said its air operations would continue to support Yemeni forces and protect the strategic waterway.
Saudi oil pipeline operations disrupted after fresh attack
Operations on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline were suspended again after an attack damaged a pumping facility near Khurais, east of Riyadh, an energy sector source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday.
The source said the facility had not been targeted in previous attacks and suffered significant damage, forcing the pipeline to stop operating.
The pipeline had previously been shut between September 11 and September 22, according to commodity-tracking platform Kpler.
The latest attack came a day after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they had targeted Saudi oil facilities belonging to state giant Saudi Aramco, including infrastructure in Khurais.
The East-West pipeline has been targeted several times since the conflict escalated following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The pipeline is a key part of Saudi Arabia’s oil export network, providing an alternative route for transporting crude from the kingdom’s eastern oil-producing region to the Red Sea coast.
