Artillery Hits Houthi Positions Near Ar Rahidah as Saudi Tankers Go Dark Through Bab el-Mandeb
Heavy fire has been reported on Houthi positions in the Taiz front as Ansar Allah allegedly probes high ground south of Ar Rahidah. Separately, Reuters confirmed Saudi-crude tankers have crossed Bab el-Mandeb with AIS switched off, showing the blockade is dangerous but not absolute.
Heavy artillery and rocket fire has been reported against Ansar Allah positions in the Taiz direction as fighting again spreads across Yemen’s old ground fronts.
Initial frontline accounts place the clashes around the Sahl al-Silsilah axis and high ground south of Ar Rahidah.
Pro-Houthi sources reportedly acknowledged casualties.
Other local reports say the fire may have originated from positions controlled by forces associated with Yemen’s al-Islah Party.
That attribution remains less firmly verified than the existence of renewed fighting.
If al-Islah forces are directly involved, the development would be politically significant.
Al-Islah is one of Yemen’s most influential Sunni Islamist political movements and has deep tribal, military and social networks.
It is often described as having ideological roots connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, although its structure and alliances are distinctly Yemeni.
The movement played a major role against the Houthis during earlier phases of the civil war.
Its relationship with other anti-Houthi forces has frequently been tense, particularly with southern and UAE-backed factions.
A return to active fighting by al-Islah-linked units could broaden the anti-Houthi front at a time when Saudi Arabia is considering stronger military options.
The immediate trigger appears to have been an attempted Ansar Allah movement toward elevated positions south of Ar Rahidah.
High ground matters because it provides observation over roads and surrounding terrain.
Even limited infiltration can therefore provoke disproportionate artillery response.
The exact tactical outcome is unclear.
There is no reliable evidence yet of a major territorial breakthrough.
The clashes should be viewed alongside fighting near Hays, al-Jawf and other fronts.
Several previously quieter areas have become active as the Red Sea and Saudi-Houthi confrontation intensifies.
That raises the possibility that maritime pressure is feeding back into Yemen’s land war.
Saudi Arabia has a direct incentive to activate anti-Houthi forces.
Ansar Allah has declared a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping and attacked oil tankers.
If Yemeni ground forces threaten Houthi territory, Sana’a must divert fighters, drones and logistics away from coastal missile operations.
That does not mean every local clash is Saudi-directed.
Yemeni factions have their own grievances and ambitions.
The maritime picture shows the limits of the Houthi blockade.
Reuters confirmed that tankers carrying Saudi crude have successfully crossed Bab el-Mandeb after turning off their Automatic Identification System transponders.
In one documented case, the Amazon and Rodos carried Saudi oil toward Indian refineries while going “dark” during the most sensitive part of the route.
Other reports identify additional tankers using similar tactics.
AIS normally broadcasts a ship’s identity, location, speed and course.
Turning it off makes tracking harder for commercial services and potentially for hostile actors relying on open maritime data.
Military forces can still detect vessels through radar, satellites, visual observation or intelligence.
Going dark therefore reduces visibility rather than creating invisibility.
It also creates navigational risk.
AIS helps ships avoid collisions and allows rescue authorities to understand traffic.
Turning systems off in a chokepoint such as Bab el-Mandeb is not ideal from a safety perspective.
The fact that Saudi cargoes are crossing despite Houthi threats demonstrates that the blockade is not physically complete.
It remains economically powerful.
Some tankers have rerouted around Africa.
Insurers have restricted coverage.
Companies alter routes and conceal tracking data.
The Houthis do not need to stop every vessel to impose cost.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, can claim that continued transits prove Ansar Allah cannot truly close the strait.
Both narratives contain part of the truth.
The blockade is porous but consequential.
The renewed ground fighting may become the next test.
If al-Islah, National Resistance Forces, tribal units and Saudi-backed formations all increase pressure simultaneously, the Houthis will face a multi-front problem.
If the anti-Houthi camp remains divided, Ansar Allah may absorb the clashes while continuing its maritime campaign.
The open question is whether Ar Rahidah is another isolated exchange—or the beginning of a coordinated effort to force the Red Sea war back onto Yemen’s ground battlefield.