The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government has released aerial footage dated October 16 depicting strikes on what it described as a Houthi weapons-smuggling operation in Hodeidah, the strategic Red Sea port city under Houthi control.
The nearly six-minute black-and-white video, which displays the date and location at its opening, shows apparent airstrikes hitting trucks, small boats, and suspected storage facilities. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki posted the footage on X shortly before midnight on Saturday. The video did not specify the exact targets, identify the weapons allegedly being smuggled, or detail the extent of the damage.
Hodeidah, on Yemen’s western coast, remains a strategically important port on the Red Sea and a focal point of the country’s conflict. Because the city and surrounding areas are under Houthi control, the reported strikes are significant amid concerns over weapons transfers and threats to regional maritime security.
The Iran-backed Houthi movement has fought Yemen’s internationally recognized government since seizing the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014. After months of political tensions and growing unrest, Houthi fighters advanced into the capital and took control of key government institutions, prompting the collapse of the existing political transition.
The group has repeatedly launched missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia, targeting military installations and civilian infrastructure. In recent months, Houthi attacks have included a deadly strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport that reportedly killed 13 people.
The Houthis have also threatened to disrupt maritime traffic through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, a strategic chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The passage is a key route for international shipping and energy supplies traveling between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal. Disruption to traffic through Bab Al-Mandab could force commercial vessels to take longer alternative routes, raising shipping costs and putting further pressure on global supply chains.
The coalition’s latest footage comes as Saudi Arabia continues to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government and confront Houthi military activity. The movement’s continued control of Sanaa and other parts of northern Yemen remains a major obstacle to a comprehensive political settlement.
