Al-Mukha Port taken out of service... Yemeni Army threatens Houthis with harsh retaliation

Yemeni Armed Forces official spokesperson Majid al-Nazili stressed today that the army will not allow the Houthi militia to convert civilian facilities and Yemeni interests into legitimate targets. He affirmed that the missile attack on the port of Al-Mukha, which temporarily took it out of service, would not go unpunished and would face a deterrent and harsh response commensurate with the scale of the threat and the crimes committed.

Al-Nazili stated, “The Armed Forces will continue their mission to protect the Yemeni people, their assets, territorial waters, and vital interests, and to eliminate the terrorist threat posed by the Houthi militia, which is backed by the Iranian regime, thereby ensuring Yemen’s security, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens.” He added, “Al-Mukha port is a vital civilian facility and an economic and maritime hub that serves trade movements and the flow of food and essential goods to the Yemeni people.”

He clarified that “the targeting of ports and civilian and economic facilities once again reveals the Houthi terrorist militia’s determination to impose a suffocating blockade on the Yemeni people, threaten their food security, destroy their assets and livelihoods, and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis created by the militia.” He praised the high readiness displayed by Armed Forces units stationed on the western coast in repelling criminal attacks and deterring the terrorist threat with efficiency and capability, according to Saba News Agency.

The day after the Presidential Leadership Council warned that the Houthi militia’s continued attacks on facilities, ports, civilian and economic assets, and international shipping lanes would not go unpunished and would face a harsh response to put an end to this recklessness, Al-Mukha port director Abdulmalek al-Sharaabi announced today that the Houthi attacks resulted in the suspension of operations at the port and caused the deaths of seven people, including four security personnel and three employees. Direct losses amounted to approximately $16 million.

Speaking at a press conference, al-Sharaabi said the port was hit by more than 25 missiles, causing widespread damage to its facilities and equipment and halting its maritime and commercial activities. He noted that the damage included six wooden vessels and a dredger that was working on a port expansion project.

He pointed out that the halt in maritime and commercial activities led to the loss of income for approximately 1,300 workers. He added that the Houthi attacks coincided with a project to rehabilitate, develop, and operate Al-Mukha port, with a cost exceeding $130 million, disrupting operations at a time when the port was undergoing development and rehabilitation works.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Joint Forces on the western coast, Wadih al-Dubaisi, announced today that three soldiers and seven members of the National Resistance were killed and seven others injured during clashes with the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the Al-Barah axis in Taiz Governorate.

Al-Dubaisi said the Al-Barah axis, located west of Taiz city, witnessed violent clashes lasting several hours following an attempt by the Houthi group to launch an attack from multiple axes in successive waves, accompanied by artillery shelling, fire support, and infiltration attempts toward military positions.

He added that “National Resistance” units carried out counter-moves and ambushes to thwart advance attempts, resulting in the deaths, injuries, or disappearance of approximately “45 to 55” Houthi fighters, according to him.