Armed Forces Repel Saudi-Backed Advance Attempts Toward Bab al-Mandab

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Wednesday that they had repelled repeated failed attempts by Saudi enemy forces to advance toward Bab al-Mandab, under the command of Saudi officer Badr al-Harbi.

A senior military source at the Ministry of Defense said the Saudi-led forces suffered heavy losses, including a large number of fatalities and injuries, among them Saudi personnel. The failed advances also triggered disputes and exchanges of accusations among the Saudi-backed formations, the source added.

The source said Saudi officers continued pushing their forces to advance despite mounting losses, repeatedly insisting that attempts must continue regardless of the cost, even if thousands were killed.

Bab al-Mandab is a strategic maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The Yemeni Armed Forces have in recent months liberated the strait, along with several towns in Taiz and Hodeidah, from Saudi occupation forces and their proxy formations.

Saudi-backed forces have several times attempted to advance, aiming to retake these areas, but have so far failed. The developments come amid renewed escalation in the conflict that began with the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen in March 2015.