Forces allied with Yemen’s internationally recognised government have recaptured several areas around the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemeni officials said Monday, as fighting intensified along the country’s western coast. The offensive, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, reportedly pushed Houthi rebels out of several locations near the narrow waterway. The Bab el-Mandeb is a vital maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is an important passage for international commercial shipping. The latest military developments have increased tensions in a conflict that has already drawn in regional powers and affected security across the wider Middle East.
Yemeni officials said government-aligned forces retook the town of Dhubab, located just north of the strait, during the offensive. They also said the forces captured the towns of Bab and Hadeid. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly to reporters. Witnesses reportedly saw government tanks and troops entering the towns as the offensive progressed. The reported territorial gains could be significant because of the locations’ proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb, which provides a maritime link between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and has long been regarded as strategically important for regional and international trade.
The government advance came as part of a major offensive launched early Monday with air support from the Saudi-led military coalition, according to the Yemeni officials. Saudi Arabia has backed Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its long-running conflict with the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. The Houthis seized control of large parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and have remained a major military and political force in the country. The latest operation represents another escalation in the struggle for territory along Yemen’s western coast, where control of strategically located areas can have wider implications for military operations and maritime security.
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The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed that they launched a series of missile and drone attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement that Houthi forces used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones during the attacks. He claimed that the targets included King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an oil refinery in Rabigh, a city on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. The claims could not be independently verified based on the information available. Saree did not provide independently confirmed details about casualties or the extent of damage caused by the reported attacks.
The Houthi spokesman also claimed that Abha airport and military facilities in Khamis Mushait were targeted, along with what he described as critical sites in the cities of Najran and Jizan. The claims came as Saudi-backed forces were advancing around the Bab el-Mandeb area. The use of missiles and drones has been a recurring feature of the wider Yemen conflict, allowing the Houthis to project attacks beyond areas under their direct control. Such attacks have also raised concerns about the security of civilian infrastructure, energy facilities and transport links in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington expected the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces to attempt to regain territory from the Houthis. Asked whether the Saudi-led coalition had coordinated the latest operation with the United States, Rubio said Saudi Arabia and the US have a defence agreement but did not provide further details. He said that after the Yemeni government was pushed out of parts of the country and Saudi Arabia came under attack, the kingdom had a right to defend itself. The latest fighting therefore underscores the continuing regional dimensions of Yemen’s conflict, while the proximity of the offensive to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait adds significance because of the waterway’s importance to international shipping and regional security.
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