The Yemen theater moved from standoff strikes to a contested ground offensive overnight. Forces aligned with the internationally recognized Yemeni government said they seized strategic positions near Bab al-Mandeb, including the port city of Mocha and the district of Dhubab in Taiz province, under an operation named Dawn of Yemen announced Sunday. The Houthis insist they remain in control of their positions; neither claim has been independently verified.
The Saudi-led coalition intensified its air and naval campaign in parallel. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces destroyed a ballistic-missile launch platform and a storage facility in Saada province holding 20 ballistic missiles. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government had the right to defend themselves, confirming US intelligence support to Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia confirmed its first civilian casualties inside the Kingdom of this war: Saudi Civil Defense reported three people wounded and material damage at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan and Najran International Airport. A separate Houthi claim of an attack on Abha airport was not confirmed. Earlier Houthi claims of strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid airport and the Rabigh Aramco refinery remain unconfirmed and should be treated as claims, not established strikes.
The humanitarian toll is rising fast. The International Organization for Migration said more than 184,000 people were displaced on Monday alone, and the World Health Organization put the latest casualty figure at at least 959 killed and wounded. Turkey and Pakistan have activated deterrence measures under their August mutual-defense pact, widening the war’s state-level footprint.