Yemen forces claim gains near Bab al-Mandeb strait

• Yemen’s government says its forces have seized key positions in Dhubab, on the coast near Bab al-Mandeb.
• Reuters, citing three military sources and one government source, reported that government forces took large parts of the district. Houthi-aligned media denied an advance.
• Saudi-led coalition support includes air strikes; its spokesman’s claim that 100 fighter jets are involved has not been independently verified.
• The strait links the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The fighting’s direct effect on commercial shipping has not been established.

The offensive began on Monday, a day after Yemen’s internationally recognised government announced a major operation to retake Houthi-held territory. The government said units from the Homeland Shield Forces and Southern Giants Brigades attacked Houthi positions in Dhubab, took key sites and cut supply routes. Those details were relayed by the state news agency Saba; Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify the battlefield account.¹

Reuters separately reported that government forces had taken large parts of Dhubab and were claiming full control of the area. Its report was based on three military sources and one government source. Houthi-aligned media said government forces had not advanced there. The competing accounts leave the extent of the gains unsettled.²

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets were supporting the government forces and that the coalition had secured air protection over the strait. The Associated Press reported that the campaign’s details could not immediately be independently verified; the aircraft figure and the coalition’s claims about targets destroyed remain attributed claims, not confirmed counts.³

The location gives the operation significance beyond Yemen’s front lines. Bab al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, and the AP describes it as a chokepoint through which 12% of global trade passes. That strategic importance does not establish that this offensive has disrupted vessel traffic.³

On Sunday, the AP reported that a commercial tanker had reported explosions near the strait, with the crew safe. Its report did not link those blasts to Monday’s offensive.⁴

Footnotes

1. Al Jazeera, “Yemen forces claim to seize Dhubab, sites near Bab al-Mandeb from Houthis”. ↩

2. Reuters, “Yemeni government forces seize district by Bab el-Mandeb, military sources say”, carried by Internazionale. ↩

3. Associated Press, “Iran-backed Houthi rebels advance toward key city of Taiz in Yemen”. ↩ ↩²

4. Associated Press, “Yemen’s government moves against the Houthi rebels, and other Mideast news”. ↩