Ankara: Yemen's government-aligned forces have announced that the Houthi group mobilized over 76,000 fighters during recent battles along the western coast, asserting that the operations involved "Iranian and Lebanese experts" in an effort to control the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

According to Anadolu Agency, the spokesperson for the government-backed National Resistance Forces, Major General Sadiq Dwaid, stated on the US social media platform X that the operations had been "planned and prepared months in advance" and executed "under the direct orders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with Iranian and Lebanese experts participating in their management." The National Resistance Forces defended a 170-kilometer (105-mile) front, safeguarding beaches and islands. Between August 9 and September 9, they reported the launch of 130 ballistic missiles, 145 suicide drones, and 15 explosive-laden boats.

Dwaid detailed that these assaults included 23 missiles and 18 drones targeting positions held by Lieutenant General Tariq Saleh, the force's commander and deputy chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council. Yemen had been experiencing a relative lull since April 2022, following nearly 12 years of conflict between government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and significant portions of the country in 2014.

Since late 2023, with the onset of the Gaza war, the Houthis have become more involved in regional hostilities, launching attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The renewed fighting has raised concerns about the possibility of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.