The Houthis condemned the footage as evidence of war crimes, while the Yemeni military emphasized ethical treatment of prisoners
Photo : REUTERS
Videos posted by Yemeni government forces appear to show armoured vehicles driving over opposing fighters as government forces recaptured areas around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The footage, verified by Reuters, offers a glimpse of the fighting near the strait, where Iran-backed Houthi forces had captured territory last month.
The Houthi advance had raised concerns in global oil markets and contributed to higher petrol and diesel prices.
Fighting continued on Tuesday as Saudi-backed government forces sought to consolidate gains made in a counter-attack the previous day.
Yemeni military sources said government forces were besieging Houthi fighters at a military camp near Bab el-Mandeb and advancing into hills to the east.
The videos, filmed from inside the armoured vehicles, show them striking fighters as they move along the sandy shore.
Some of those hit appear to be armed, while others are seen walking or running. Others appear unarmed and are shown sitting, lying or crouching on the ground without attempting to move away as the vehicles approach.
In one sequence, a vehicle hits an unarmed man who is running, as well as another man who is crouching on the ground. The vehicle then turns back and drives over two men who have their hands raised and appear to be unarmed.
Gunfire can be heard throughout the footage. At one point, a bullet appears to strike and crack the vehicle’s windscreen.
The Houthis condemned the footage as evidence of war crimes, saying it showed “the true nature of the Saudi regime and the forces it has mobilised from extremist factions”.
The Homeland Shield Forces, another significant part of the government military coalition, did not comment directly on the videos. It issued a directive on Tuesday calling on troops to treat prisoners well and follow religious, ethical and legal standards.
Rights groups have previously accused the Houthis of war crimes, including attacks on civilians by snipers and shelling, the seizure of aid, mistreatment of prisoners and the use of child soldiers. The Houthis have denied the allegations.
New Phase in Yemen’s War
Fighting was also continuing around Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city. Houthi advances in a mountainous district have in recent days cut a main road to Aden, leaving government forces encircled.
Yemen’s civil war pits the Houthis against an uneasy coalition of military groups aligned with the internationally recognised government. The coalition is backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies, although the forces involved have their own rivalries.
The renewed fighting has opened another front in the wider Iran-US conflict. The US has rejected Saudi requests for military assistance to reverse Houthi gains on the Red Sea coast and halt the group’s missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Nagi, a Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the latest government operation as a potential turning point. “The operation itself is significant because it’s a turning point in the trajectory of the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition,” he said. “The biggest test will be when they move towards the mountains,” he added.
The Giants Brigade is a southern military formation that was originally established by students at ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim religious colleges. Its background adds a religious and regional dimension to its conflict with the Houthis, who originate in northern Yemen and follow the Zaydi school of Shia Islam.