Saudi-backed mercenaries dispatched to Ta’izz amid fierce fighting with Yemeni armed forces

Thousands of Saudi-backed mercenaries have reportedly been dispatched to Ta’izz as the Yemeni Armed Forces scored military gains, taking control of large swathes of the province’s territory and advancing towards al-Mokha port.

Reinforcements from the so-called Giants Brigades and the Nation’s Shield Forces have arrived on fronts in Ta’izz and Hudaydah, according to Yemeni sources.

This comes as at least 39 Saudi-backed mercenaries, including senior commanders, have been killed in the clashes that have been taking place since Thursday, media reports cited sources from the mercenary forces as saying. Dozens others have reportedly fled.

The Yemeni forces, backed by rocket and drone attacks, launched a ground assault near the Red Sea coast and around Ta’izz on Thursday.

Sources also announced new Yemeni done attacks on al-Mokha port, one of the main entry points for weapons and equipment for the mercenaries.

In recent months, the port was a target for dozens of Yemeni missile and drone attacks.

Mokha lies on the Red Sea near Bab al-Mandab, a vital passage for a significant share of global maritime trade.

The fighting along Yemen’s Western coast is of its most serious in years. It is significant not only because of its intensity but also because of its location.

Western Ta’izz provides a link between the mountainous interior and the Red Sea coastline.                     

Control of the roads, mountain positions and coastal areas in the region can affect the movement of forces and supplies between Yemen’s interior and the coast, giving the fighting a strategic dimension that extends beyond the immediate battle lines.

The clashes also come as Yemen’s armed forces have intensified their retaliatory attacks against key targets in Saudi Arabia and tightened their blockade on the kingdom.

Saudi oil sales slump to nine-year-low amid war on Iran, Yemeni blockade: Report

Saudi oil exports have slumped to a nine-year-low as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz ensued from the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, and Yemen’s reliatory blockade against the kingdom have crippled Riyadh

The current maritime blockade is a direct response to the devastating, years-long siege imposed on Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition.

For nearly a decade, the coalition has enforced a crippling land, sea, and air blockade, which the United Nations has repeatedly described as a primary driver of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The siege has deliberately targeted Yemen's ability to import food, fuel, and medicine, while simultaneously attempting to plunder the nation's oil and gas resources.

Utilizing their advanced asymmetric naval capabilities, including drones and missiles, Yemen has shifted from a purely defensive posture to an active pressure campaign.

The strategy is designed to inflict direct economic and military costs on the Saudi regime until the siege is permanently lifted, the war is ended, and Yemen's full sovereignty is restored.                                                                                                                                                                                             

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