Houthis Vow Not to Target European Ships as Yemeni Forces Seize Strategic Jabal Numan

SANAA / ADEN, Sept 25: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have told the European Union that they will not target European ships in the Red Sea, even as fighting between the group and Yemeni government forces intensifies along strategic fronts near the Red Sea coast.

According to the Financial Times, citing two diplomats briefed on the matter, the Houthis sent a letter to the EU’s diplomatic service on September 10 saying their operations would not target European vessels and would not affect freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The reported assurance comes as the Houthis have expanded their military activity along Yemen’s western coast and sought to strengthen their positions around strategic maritime routes.

Separately, Yemeni government forces said on Friday they had seized control of the strategic Jabal Numan mountain range in Lahj province following clashes with Houthi fighters.

The Yemeni army’s media center said government forces, backed by the Popular Resistance, took control of the mountain range overlooking the Al-Wazi’iyah and Al-Mudarabah districts. The Nation’s Shield Forces said their units, supported by the Giants Brigades and local tribesmen, captured the summit of Jabal Numan and the nearby Dar al-Kafir position.

The forces said the operation began with an overnight infiltration, followed by an encirclement and dawn assault that forced Houthi fighters to withdraw, leaving behind weapons and ammunition. They also claimed the Houthis suffered heavy personnel and equipment losses.

Government-aligned forces said Jabal Numan is strategically important because it overlooks supply routes linking Al-Wazi’iyah and Al-Mudarabah and had been used by the Houthis to monitor the area and shell nearby villages and military positions.

The capture of the mountain, they said, would help protect villages in Wadi Al-Mudarabah and the outskirts of Al-Wazi’iyah, reduce the threat of Houthi shelling and restrict an infiltration route.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the reported capture.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks across fronts between Taiz and Lahj as both sides battle for control of strategic highlands overlooking Yemen’s western coast and approaches to the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Government forces have reported a series of advances in the area, while Houthi forces have also launched attacks to regain positions.

The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.