Russian Report: Ansar Allah strengthens its influence in the Red Sea and emerges as an influential power in the Arab East

Follow-ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The Russian newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa, in a report by writer Konstantin Olshansky published on September 12, 2026, discussed a wide-scale military operation carried out by Sana’a forces in southwestern Yemen, which it said resulted, in less than 24 hours, in the control of more than 5,400 square kilometers, the port of Al-Mokha, and a number of military bases and facilities, along with a foothold on the strategic Zuqar Island within the Hanish Archipelago.

This development, according to the report, acquires special importance due to the region’s proximity to the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and international shipping lines.

The report explained that the attack relied on pressuring defense lines and maneuvering through mountainous areas, after weakening reconnaissance capabilities. It mentioned the downing of CH-4 reconnaissance and attack drones and unsuccessful Saudi aerial attempts to stop the advance. It also noted the control of sites and heights surrounding Al-Mokha and the tightening of the noose around Khalid Military Base, before advancing towards the coast and controlling Al-Mokha, sites in Dhubab, Jabal Dhubab, and Al-Omari Camp.

The report referred to missile and drone attacks targeting facilities linked to Aramco in Buqayq, Najran, and Jizan, and military targets in Khamis Mushait, following the control of Al-Mokha, with talk of fires at some sites.

It also mentioned a Pakistani request to Iran to use its influence with Ansar Allah to stop targeting Saudi oil facilities, while Islamabad denied reports of direct participation of Pakistani or Turkish forces in the war.

The report concluded that controlling coastal sites and islands near Bab Al-Mandeb may grant Sana’a forces a greater ability to influence navigation security and push regional and international parties to reconsider their calculations regarding Yemen and the Red Sea.