DID Press: Ansarullah forces have expanded the scope of their missile and drone operations deep into Saudi Arabia over the past 48 hours, launching a new wave of attacks on military bases in the kingdom’s south and southeast, according to sources in Sanaa.
The attacks reportedly targeted several military and aviation facilities and, for the first time, included Saudi Arabia’s Sharurah Airport. Ansarullah said the operation involved ballistic and cruise missiles as well as advanced drones and described it as a direct response to Saudi-led airstrikes on areas under the control of the Sanaa authorities in Yemen.
Military sources in Sanaa claimed the attacks demonstrated the Yemeni forces’ ability to reach sensitive targets deep inside Saudi territory and penetrate the kingdom’s air-defense systems.
According to the report, King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait was targeted, disrupting its operations. King Fahd Air Base in the Taif region and several military facilities around Abha were also reportedly attacked. Sanaa-based sources claimed the strikes caused serious disruption to civilian air traffic in some areas for several hours.
Meanwhile, Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Sanaa-based armed forces, said on Monday afternoon that an operation had been carried out against a military facility in the Sharurah area. He said weapons depots and command-and-control centers used to coordinate operations against Yemen were targeted.
The attacks followed 129 airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition on the Yemeni provinces of Taiz, Marib, Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Saada, Amran and Hajjah, according to the report. Sources close to Sanaa described the operation as one of the most intense recent missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and claimed that explosions destroyed several weapons depots at targeted bases.
Sanaa-based military sources also alleged that the Sharurah facility had hosted several U.S. intelligence officers affiliated with U.S. Central Command in the days before the attack. They claimed intelligence regarding the facility’s role in planning, target identification, operational coordination and support for attacks against Yemen was used to select it as a target.
Following the attack on Sharurah, Saudi warplanes reportedly launched fresh strikes on areas controlled by Sanaa forces in Al Bayda, Al Dhale, Taiz, Abyan, Marib and Al Jawf. Hanish Island and several other islands in the Red Sea were also reportedly targeted.
Local sources said the airstrikes also hit areas west of Taiz, including Al Wazi’iyah and several government buildings.
At the same time, Ansarullah rejected Saudi media reports that a Yemeni missile had struck a mosque in the Al-Tuwal area of Jizan. The group said damage to the mosque was caused by interceptor missiles fired by Saudi Arabia’s air-defense system.
Inside Yemen, Sanaa forces have also reinforced their positions around Marib and in desert areas of Al Jawf, while confronting attempts by forces aligned with Riyadh to advance in Al Bayda.
Although no direct clashes have reportedly occurred around Dhubab and surrounding areas, Saudi media have published reports in recent days alleging fighting there. Sanaa-based sources rejected those reports, describing them as an attempt to downplay Ansarullah’s control over parts of Yemen’s western coastline and areas around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.