New drone footage out of southern Yemen shows the Southern Giants Brigades unleashing precision hexacopter strikes on Houthi fighters, dropping mortar rounds directly onto personnel, vehicles and dug-in trenches along the Al-Wazi'iyah and Kahbub fronts near the vital Bab al-Mandab strait. The video captures the strikes in real time, explosions ripping through arid terrain, smoke and fire swallowing vehicles and structures as the hexacopters circle back for repeated passes. Officials with the Southern Giants say the strikes destroyed a Houthi command vehicle along with anti-aircraft equipment, a serious blow to the group's ability to coordinate and defend its positions on these contested fronts.

The strikes come amid a sharp escalation in fighting this September, after Houthi forces pushed into Red Sea coastal areas and seized ground threatening one of the world's most critical shipping corridors. In response, the Southern Giants Brigades and allied units launched counterstrikes aimed at retaking the strategic high ground overlooking Bab al-Mandab, hoping to choke off the Houthis' advance before it reaches the strait itself. The Kahbub mountains in particular have become one of the most fiercely contested battlegrounds in the entire campaign, with both sides pouring in reinforcements. As the fighting grinds on, control of these heights could决定 who holds the upper hand over one of the most strategically vital waterways on earth.