Saudi‑Led Coalition Helps Yemeni Forces Target IS Mouthpiece

Aden, September 1 – Officials from Yemen’s central state security agency disclosed that the Islamic State’s official spokesperson, Abu Huzayfa al‑Ansari, was killed in a coordinated anti‑terror sweep conducted by Yemeni security units together with the Saudi‑led coalition’s special forces. The operation, aired on the state channel Saba, was meant to capture al‑Ansari without loss of life, but he died from wounds inflicted during the encounter.

The coalition’s special troops collaborated with Yemen’s 22nd Counter‑Terrorism Unit, though the government withheld specific operational details. Military contacts indicated the raid unfolded on Monday night around 01:30 in the southeastern province of Hadhramaut, specifically in the town of Sayoun. The target was an old mud‑walled house in the Al‑Houta area where al‑Ansari had taken refuge.

Initial reports suggest al‑Ansari was seized while injured, but he succumbed to his injuries; a second person inside the building was also killed. Drones were deployed to assist the ground team, and witnesses described hearing a series of explosions throughout the neighborhood.

The protracted instability in Yemen continues to enable terrorist outfits such as al‑Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and IS to sustain activity in the country’s southern and eastern regions. In parallel, the Yemeni navy reported intercepting four Houthi‑controlled boats laden with explosives that were heading toward the government‑held islands of Hanish and Zukr in the Red Sea. No response has yet been received from the Houthi movement.