ADEN — Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces staged a lightning advance on Monday to retake the coastline around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, driving Iran-backed Houthi fighters out of most of the territory they seized last month, Yemeni officials said.
The offensive, launched early Monday under heavy air cover from the Saudi-led coalition, marks the most significant gain in the renewed fighting along Yemen’s Red Sea coast since the Houthis declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in July.
Government officials told international news agencies that forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government retook the town of Dhubab, just north of the strait, along with the nearby towns of Bab and Hadeid. Witnesses said they saw government tanks and troops entering the towns, according to reports.
Key Airfield Retaken at the Strait’s Mouth
Among the captured positions is the Dhubab military airfield at the mouth of the strait, whose seizure by the Houthis last month sent shock waves through energy markets. Saudi-led forces also cut the road linking Dhubab to the Bab al-Mandab area, military sources said.
The forces pushed toward the Red Sea port city of Mokha, with government sources telling Reuters that troops reached the city’s outskirts late on Monday as Houthi fighters retreated into the highlands. The Yemeni Defense Ministry said the city itself had fallen, though that claim could not be independently verified and military sources who spoke to AFP would not confirm a full capture.
“The offensive, if confirmed in full, would loosen the Houthis’ grip on a vital Red Sea oil route,” trade sources said, noting the waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and carries a major share of Europe-bound energy traffic.
Coalition Air Power Behind the Push
The Saudi-led coalition said about 100 fighter jets were supporting the Yemeni government forces in the operation. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said hundreds of Houthi targets had been destroyed in the campaign, state media reported.
Separately, the coalition said its naval forces carried out a military operation in Yemen’s Red Sea governorate of Hodeidah late on Monday, targeting weapons depots, booby-trapped boats and naval mines.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters it was expected that the Saudi-backed government would hit back to reclaim territory. Asked whether the coalition coordinated the action with the United States, Rubio said only that Saudi Arabia and the US have a defense agreement, without offering further details.
Houthis Retaliate With Strikes on Saudi Targets
In response to the offensive, the Houthis claimed a wave of missile and drone attacks on targets inside Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco refinery in the Red Sea city of Rabigh, along with Abha airport and military facilities in Khamis Mushait.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said ballistic and cruise missiles and drones were used in the claimed attacks, which he said were retaliation for more than 1,500 Saudi airstrikes on Yemen since the escalation began. The claims could not be independently verified, and Saudi Arabia and Aramco did not immediately comment on them.
The group also threatened to attack air traffic in Saudi airspace, according to its statements.
Heavy Fighting Continues on Other Fronts
While the government advanced on the coast, the Houthis themselves made gains near the city of Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, taking sections of a mountain road and leaving government forces there besieged, five military sources told international media. One government source denied the road had been cut.
Sources from both sides told AFP that fighting in and around western Taiz province killed more than 70 people over the previous day — including 34 government troops and 39 Houthi fighters — underscoring the intensity of the multi-front war.
The escalation is being closely watched by energy markets. Ship-tracking data from Kpler showed Gulf oil exports averaged 18.3 million barrels per day at the end of September, slightly above pre-war levels, but shipping intelligence firm Marisks said seven attacks were reported in the past week in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Aden, warning of a “heightened and increasingly unpredictable kinetic threat” to merchant vessels.
The announcement of the offensive coincided with an emergency meeting in Riyadh of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Mecca Defence Alliance, where Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye agreed to move toward the rapid deployment of forces and military capabilities inside the kingdom.
