Yemen: Video shows armoured vehicle ramming unarmed and armed men as fighting rages

Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 10/05/2026 - 17:46 The vehicle mows down men who clearly have their hands raised to surrender, in addition to men armed with rifles

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces ride in the back of a military truck at the Jabal Han front, west of the city of Taiz, following fierce battles earlier in the day, on 3 October 2026 (Ahmad al-Basha/AFP) Off

Multiple videos have emerged on social media showing what appear to be Yemeni-government-aligned soldiers in an armoured vehicle driving over bodies and armed and unarmed men amid a counter-offensive against the Houthis.

One video shows the driver of the armoured vehicle moving into a crowd of men, some armed with rifles but others clearly holding up their hands to surrender.

The driver clearly mows the vehicle into two men who have their arms raised to surrender. The driver and his companion then scream “Allahu Akbar” as they drive over several prone men on the side of the road; some lie motionless, and others twitch their legs. The camera's movements capture the thumps of the vehicle hitting the bodies.

At the beginning of the video, one can hear the click-clack of small arms fire, although it is not clear who is shooting.

A second video appears to show a man on the ground pointing an assault rifle at the vehicle as it comes towards him. Small arms fire can be heard in the background. After hitting the first man, the driver takes the vehicle into a crowd of men who are lying on the ground. The men raise their weapons and begin to shoot at the vehicle as it accelerates towards them.

A third video appears to show the vehicle searching for men to ram after engaging the last group. The driver finds an armed man lying alone on the beach. The driver shouts “this dog” - an Arabic curse word - before running him over. The vehicle stops, and at least one person inside the car appears to start shooting at men walking slowly on the beach who do not appear to be firing back. Several men on the beach drop, as they appear to be shot from firing emanating from the vehicle.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the drivers of the vehicle or the armed and unarmed men the driver chases, although open-source analysts said the vehicle appeared to be operated by soldiers belonging to Yemen's government.

Saudi-backed offensive

The videos come after Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, began a counter-offensive to retake Red Sea coastal territory that the Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, captured last month.

The Yemeni government announced on Sunday that the campaign's overall objective is to retake all of the territory it lost to the Houthis in 12 years of war.

Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies began attacking Houthi positions on Monday. By evening local time, they announced taking back the Arabian Gulf side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Mocha, the strategic Red Sea port city that the Houthis had wrested from them in September.

Saudi Arabia turns to UAE 'white horse' as it gears up to battle Yemen's Houthis Read More »

The ramming videos were just some of the footage that appeared on social media showing the chaotic fighting for Yemen’s coastal strip of land known as the Tihamah Plain.

Several videos appeared to show teenage boys recruited to fight by the Houthis, captured by forces aligned with Yemen’s government.

Yemen has been wracked by conflict since the Houthis captured the country’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, sparking a civil war. Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened the following year to oust the Houthis from power, supporting the Yemeni government based in Aden.

A fragile United Nations-backed ceasefire struck in 2022 between Yemen’s government and the Houthis collapsed in July.

The Houthis' advance down the Red Sea added a new global dimension to the conflict, with the group declaring an embargo against Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.

The waterway is a vital corridor for the kingdom's oil shipments, with the US and Iran battling for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

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