Debunking Houthi Propaganda: Coalition Rejects False Claims of Attacks on Riyadh

Why it matters: The Arab Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen dismissed recent claims by the Houthi militia regarding an alleged attack on the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Major General Turki Al-Malki, official spokesperson for the coalition, labeled those assertions as entirely misleading.

Driving the news: Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Maliki asserted that the Houthi movement is actively “seeking illusory victories” to distract from their mounting casualties. He noted that the group faces intense pressure, particularly in the strategic city of Taiz, where they have suffered substantial losses at the hands of the Yemeni Armed Forces and popular resistance factions across all active fronts.

According to Al-Maliki, these fabricated claims function as a diversionary tactic. They aim to obscure the true scale of Houthi personnel losses and dampen the growing public anger over the militia’s destructive behavior and their continued alignment with external agendas that have brought chaos and ruin to Yemen.

Battlefield Pressure in Yemen

The Iran-backed group made its claim while unified Yemeni forces were repelling its attempts to consolidate positions on the western coast. Recent Yemeni reports say the group lost about 5,000 fighters in one week. Yemen’s armed forces are also running air and ground operations across several fronts.

Col. Majed Al-Nazili, spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces, gave a detailed account. His forces carried out 257 precise operations against Houthi positions and capabilities. They used warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles and rocket launchers. The strikes covered Sanaa, Midi, Baqim in Saada, and the Jawf, Marib, Bayda and Lahj fronts. Taiz received the heaviest focus.

Targets included command-and-control centres, troop concentrations and reserves, weapons and ammunition depots, and military supply lines. Al-Nazili said the operations neutralised at least 700 militia members and destroyed 170 vehicles and combat assets. He said this limited the militia’s ability to keep attacking civilians in their homes and villages.

Coalition forces also kept up the pressure. Early Sunday, the coalition reported 97 precise targeting operations against Houthi reinforcements on the Tor al-Baha front and the Taiz axis.

By the numbers:

• 257: precise operations Yemeni forces carried out against Houthi targets
• 700+: militia members neutralised, according to Col. Al-Nazili
• 170: Houthi vehicles and combat assets destroyed
• About 5,000: fighters the group reportedly lost in one week
• 97: coalition targeting operations on the Tor al-Baha front and Taiz axis early Sunday
• 73: people wounded in the Sept. 8 Houthi attacks on southern Saudi cities
• About 4 million barrels per day: Saudi crude now routed to Yanbu on the Red Sea
• 5 million vs. 240,000 barrels per day: Yanbu exports through Bab al-Mandeb in June versus the same period last year, according to Kpler.
• About 8%: share of global oil that passes through Bab al-Mandeb, per the US Energy Information Administration.
• About 16 vs. 50 days: typical Yanbu-to-Asia voyage via the strait versus the Suez-and-Africa detour.

The Bab al-Mandeb Threat

The big picture: The Houthis have targeted Saudi Arabia repeatedly in recent weeks. They stepped up attacks after declaring a naval blockade against the Kingdom in July, and strikes also hit Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea. Moreover, the attacks have reached far beyond the border. On 8 September, a wave of strikes wounded more than 70 people and ignited fires at several oil facilities in the south.

The strait gives the Houthis strategic leverage. The group completed its takeover of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Yemen’s entire western Red Sea coast on 11 September. It had already captured the port of Mocha and the strategic island of Perim. The group says its blockade applies only to Saudi ships. Nevertheless, the threat reaches well beyond one country. Roughly 15 percent of global maritime trade passes through the strait.

Saudi Arabia has built strong contingencies. After Hormuz closed, the Kingdom rerouted crude through its East-West pipeline to Yanbu. Exports from that Red Sea port now reach about 4 million barrels a day. Yet those barrels still need safe passage south. Therefore, shipping security around the strait has become a central regional issue.

Zoom in: Allies are responding. France is deploying troops and air defence systems to protect Yanbu, while the UK provides refuelling support. Meanwhile, military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye met in Riyadh last week to discuss regional security.

What’s next: The Houthis show no sign of backing down. A senior Houthi figure, Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, said attacks would continue until Riyadh lifts its blockade of Houthi-held areas. The coalition, by contrast, has promised to deter the militia. As a result, observers will watch Red Sea shipping data and frontline reports closely in the coming days.