Major setback for Houthis: coalition forces reclaim Bab el-Mandeb

Sanaa: Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have claimed major gains against the Houthis after launching a large-scale offensive, saying they have seized key positions around the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait and taken control of the Dhubab district and its airport.

The offensive follows a military campaign announced by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi to retake territory held by the Houthis and restore government authority. Government forces, including the Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces, advanced with extensive air support, cutting supply routes around Dhubab and the road linking the district with Mokha.

The government also claimed that Houthi fighters were surrounded in the Bab el-Mandeb area and on Mayun Island. However, the Houthis have denied the reported recapture of Dhubab, and the competing battlefield claims could not be independently verified.

The latest offensive comes after intense fighting on the southwestern coast and around the hills west of Taiz. Government forces are seeking to reverse recent Houthi advances and push back the group’s control over strategically important areas.

The escalating conflict is also deepening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. The World Food Programme said renewed fighting had displaced more than 149,000 people, while 74 per cent of households monitored in accessible government-controlled areas were unable to meet their basic food needs. Across Yemen, 18.3 million people are facing acute food insecurity.

With fighting spreading along the western coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb corridor, further disruption to food supplies, trade routes, and humanitarian access threatens to worsen an already devastating crisis.