Houthi Missile Barrage Hits Yemen's Mocha, Raising Truce Fears
Houthi forces launch fresh missile and drone attacks on Mocha, targeting Saudi-backed positions and escalating Yemen's conflict.
Yemen's fragile calm is under threat after Houthi forces launched a fresh wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks on Wednesday, targeting gatherings and positions of Saudi-backed forces in the Red Sea port city of Mocha.
The latest assault follows two earlier Houthi missile and drone strikes in Mocha since Sunday. Local sources report that those attacks left eight people dead, including four government soldiers, and wounded dozens more.
The Houthis have accused Saudi-backed forces of preparing military operations against areas under their control. Ali Al-Dailami, a member of the Houthi Political Bureau, issued a stark warning, stating that any Saudi presence, weapons, or actions targeting Yemeni people will not be tolerated. He questioned the legitimacy of the military camps, calling them criminal and a threat to Yemeni sovereignty.
In a statement on social media platform X on Tuesday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said a large number of ballistic missiles and drones had targeted troop gatherings, weapons depots, and command centers in Mocha, located in the southwestern Taiz province, as well as the Tadawin military camp in the northeastern province of Marib.
The recent weeks have seen a sharp intensification of Houthi missile and drone attacks on government-held areas and Saudi-linked targets. This escalation raises fears that the relative peace, which has largely held since a United Nations-brokered truce took effect in 2022, could unravel.