Yemen Secures Bab al‑Mandab Strait Amid New Offensive

Mon Oct 05 2026 17:08:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Yemeni forces backed by Saudi Arabia claim a breakthrough at the Bab al‑Mandab Strait as a fresh offensive against the Houthis launches, tightening a long‑running conflict.

Yemeni pro‑government units driven by Saudi support say they have taken control of the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a vital choke point for international shipping. The forces, including the Giants Brigades and National Shield, have surrounded Houthi fighters in Dhubab and seized the town’s airport, severing the road to Mokha. The offensive now expands to other fronts, including the rebel‑held capital Sanaa, as the Saudi‑led coalition reports having destroyed more than 300 high‑value targets. The announcement follows months of escalating clashes that have claimed nearly a thousand lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. Analysts warn the new gains could intensify regional tensions and impact global maritime trade.

Yemen Secures Bab al‑Mandab Strait Amid New Offensive

Yemeni pro‑government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, claim they have taken control of the Bab al‑Mandab Strait – the narrow waterway that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden – as the first phase of a broad offensive against the Iran‑backed Houthi movement.

The military spokesman said the Giants Brigades and National Shield units had besieged Houthi fighters in the Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab, which overlooks the strait. Their forces reportedly seized the town’s airport and cut the key road to the port city of Mokha, a strategic move that hinges on controlling the maritime corridor.

The statement followed denial from Houthi‑run media that any progress had been made in the Dhubab area, but the army’s report stands against a backdrop of fierce fighting that has punctuated the decade‑long civil war.

Co‑ordination with a Saudi‑led coalition has been highlighted, with the coalition’s fighter jets claiming to have destroyed more than 300 high‑value targets in support of the assault. The wider offensive also extends to other fronts, including the rebel‑held capital, Sanaa, which fell to the Houthis at the start of the conflict 12 years ago.

At the launch of the operation, the head of Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al‑Alimi, urged armed forces to begin executing their plans “until the country is liberated from the grip of the Houthi terrorist militia,” after the rebels effectively surrounded government troops and residents near Taiz by cutting a mountain road.

Retaliation has already shown its brutal side, with the Houthis firing ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi oil sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area, striking back at a barrage of Saudi strikes on their territory.

Since the war erupted in 2014, Yemen has seen nearly a thousand casualties and over 200,000 displaced people, according to the national health ministry and the United Nations, as the fighting has worsened economic hardship and humanitarian conditions across the country.