Mecca Agreement Enters into Force.. Yemeni Government Forces Advance on the Coast

The three countries affirmed that the security of each is part of collective security, and adopted recommendations to enhance readiness, integration, and joint defense capabilities, and condemned attempts to target Mecca, Medina, and ongoing attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic infrastructure.

These steps come within the framework of the 'Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense' signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan on August 7, which stipulates that any attack on one of the three countries is considered an attack on all of them. The chiefs of staff of the three countries met in Riyadh on September 25 to enhance defense cooperation, following the first meeting of the committee in Istanbul on August 31.

In Yemen, government forces announced control over the Dhabab district and strategic sites near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in addition to the strait area and Dhabab Airport, and announced control over Al-Amri Camp and advancing towards Al-Khokha, before announcing control over the city of Mocha and its port.

Government forces said their operations are supported by air cover, and they have cut parts of the road between Dhabab and Mocha and controlled sites overlooking it, while combing operations and pursuit of Houthi elements continue.

Mocha is of strategic importance due to its proximity to Bab al-Mandab and international navigation lines in the Red Sea, in addition to its port.

Assistant Yemeni Defense Minister Brigadier General Samir Al-Saberi said that the 'Dawn of Yemen' operation has entered a new and comprehensive phase aimed at ending Houthi control and imposing government authority, explaining that the first phase focused on Bab al-Mandab and Mocha.

According to government forces, the operation carried out 1,122 precise strikes targeting artillery, missile platforms, fortifications, supply routes, reinforcements, and command and control centers in Saada, Jawf, Taiz, and the western coast, while the operations, according to their announcement, resulted in the 'neutralization' of 1,747 Houthis and the destruction or damage of 364 vehicles, equipment, and means of transport and supply.

About 100 Saudi-led coalition fighter jets participated in the operations, carrying out 324 strikes on targets, with continued air support and protection for the forces, according to the information announced.

In contrast, the military spokesman for the Houthi group, Ansar Allah, said that the group's forces 'control their field gains', describing what the other side is promoting as 'imaginary victories'.

He added that the group's forces carried out dozens of strikes in the past hours targeting government forces' mobilizations in the eastern province of Jawf, saying that the attacks resulted in large numbers of casualties and injuries and the burning of a number of vehicles.

Confrontations continued on other fronts, as government forces in Taiz announced the downing of 5 Houthi drones, coinciding with clashes around the air defense area and government forces' advance to the south, while battles in Marib focused on the southern, western, and northern fronts with government forces announcing the securing of sites and advancing towards the Um Al-Reesh camp.

In Jawf, clashes continued alongside air strikes that targeted, according to government forces, a Houthi weapons warehouse and reinforcements in the province and northwest Marib.

In Hodeidah, the coalition announced a naval operation against military targets, saying it thwarted imminent attacks on waterways south of the Red Sea, destroyed weapons depots, warehouses for booby-trapped boats, and naval mines, with the aim of protecting navigation in the vicinity of Bab al-Mandab.

Houthi media reported strikes on Kamaran Island, Hodeidah Port, and Al-Salif, while government forces announced an attack towards Sanaa using modern military capabilities.

In contrast, the Houthis announced three operations that they said targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, the Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha Airport, Khamis Mushait base, and the Aqeefa camp in Asir, along with sites in Najran and Jazan, without the available information confirming Saudi confirmation of these targetings.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that developments in Yemen represent a counter-offensive to reclaim territories controlled by the Houthi group, noting that Washington had expected these operations.

He added that Saudi Arabia and Yemeni forces do not want the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab, and that Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself, affirming that the United States has a binding security agreement with Riyadh and intends to fulfill its obligations.

A US official said that Washington supports Saudi Arabia in planning, intelligence sharing, and refueling, noting the presence of about 200 US advisors in planning centers to assist in targeting operations.

The developments come more than three months after the Houthis announced a general mobilization, amid escalating missile and drone attacks on areas under government and Saudi control and navigation in the Red Sea, while the Houthis launched a ground attack on the western coast in early September, before government forces announced the recapture of several areas as part of the 'Dawn of Yemen' operation.