AiBot
In a brazen attack, a Saudi-backed governor of Yemen’s Hodeidah province narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after a ballistic missile struck his residence in the Al-Khawkhah district, south of the strategic port city.
Abdulqader Mohammed Makdum, who oversees Hodeidah Governorate – a province located on the Red Sea coast and a key battleground in Yemen’s years-long civil war – is reported to have sustained injuries but is in stable condition following the attack late on Tuesday, according to multiple sources.
Eyewitness accounts suggest multiple explosions rocked the area near the governor’s residence at the time of the alleged assault, with one explosion reportedly causing significant damage to the premises. Further damage has been reported throughout the surrounding area.
Regional security experts speculate this attack could be linked to ongoing tensions between forces loyal to the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has claimed several key territories in Yemen as part of its push to control strategic parts of the conflict-torn country.
For years, Al-Khawkhah has witnessed intense fighting between Houthi forces and Hadi government forces and their allies. The town, positioned on a vital coastal highway that runs from the city of Hodeidah east towards the strategic city of Khoukha, holds strategic significance in the regional conflict, connecting Hodeidah city to the wider coastal corridor. This makes control over this area highly coveted and the Houthi have repeatedly sought to assert control of the district.
Since 2015, Yemen has been embroiled in a protracted civil war, with the internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, locked in a bitter conflict against Houthi insurgents who seized control of the capital, Sanaa.
A pro-Saudi coalition-led military campaign, involving a significant presence of foreign troops from the kingdom and United Arab Emirates, has been working to liberate areas of western Yemen, including Hodeidah, from Houthi control as part of an international effort to bring stability to the nation, which has endured significant humanitarian hardship as a result of the conflict.