Saudi Arabia has on Wednesday closed its border areas with Hadhramaut and Mahrah provinces in eastern Yemen. This was reported by Yemen News Portal, citing a military commander loyal to the Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday.
The move is a sign of the start of arrangements to isolate the province of Mahrah.
Ghaithan al-Bahsani, the commander of the Alahqaf Brigade in the Second Military Region in Hadhramaut, revealed that they carried out a large-scale deployment operation during the past hours.
The Saudis closed the lines connecting Hadhramaut and Mahrah in Ar Raydah Wa Qusayar district, which runs along the border line of Mahrah province.
According to Al-Bhasani, the deployment includes the establishment of checkpoints in the international line linking Mahrah and Wadi Shehari and the closure of the road between the two provinces.
The latest deployment is an extension of a large-scale militarization launched by Saudi Arabia years ago as the war on Yemen began, and aims to control the province of Mahrah in order to extend its oil pipeline across the Arabian Sea instead of through the Strait of Hormuz which passes by Iran.
