MOKHA, YEMEN — Experts from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have visited Houthi-held areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait to discuss radar installations and oversee tunnel excavation, according to two Houthi military sources cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on September 19.
The Iranian experts, who arrived from Hodeidah, made separate visits on Thursday and Friday. They inspected the Bab al-Mandab area, the port and airport of Mokha, and the Jabal Al-Nar military camp east of the city.
According to the sources, the experts oversaw excavation work in the mountainous hills overlooking Mokha and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. They also discussed the installation of radar systems near Mokha and on Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea.
Separate Yemeni military sources reported that the Houthis have begun installing radar systems on mountain ridges overlooking the southern Red Sea and establishing positions on those ridges and Zuqar Island. The sources also said that four IRGC experts visited the port and airport of Mokha and the Bab al-Mandab area and met Houthi commanders from the missile force.
The reported activities come after the Houthis captured key areas along Yemen’s western coast, including Mokha and positions near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is an important international shipping route.
The developments are also taking place as fighting continues around the Kahbub mountain area overlooking Bab al-Mandab. Yemeni government sources told AFP that clashes between Houthi forces and government forces have intensified in the area. Other reporting has also documented fighting around the Kahbub mountain range in recent days.
The reported radar and tunnel work would add to the military infrastructure being established around positions overlooking the southern Red Sea. However, the details of the reported installations and their operational status have not been independently confirmed.
The reports come amid a broader escalation in Yemen that has intensified since July, according to AFP, against the backdrop of the wider conflict involving Iran and the United States.
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