Saudi-supported Yemeni government troops secured strategic positions along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday, intensifying efforts to reclaim territory lost last month to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The government forces have reportedly taken control of significant parts of the Dhubab district, which overlooks the crucial waterway, bolstered by substantial air support from the Saudi-led coalition.
In contrast, Houthi-affiliated media dismissed claims of government advances in the area as entirely false. Meanwhile, late Sunday, Houthi fighters pushed forward along sections of the mountainous road leading to the key city of Taiz, effectively besieging government forces stationed there, though some government sources contested reports that the road had been fully cut off.
The ongoing clashes have unfolded along multiple fronts in Yemen, reigniting a civil war that has escalated due to broader US-Iran tensions. The Houthis aim to dominate the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait and have launched missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi cities and infrastructure. This conflict threatens a critical energy export route, compounding disruptions caused by Iran’s closure of the Hormuz Strait and contributing to rising global oil prices amid an already volatile regional landscape.
In a significant development, Yemen’s internationally recognized government announced the initiation of a counteroffensive on Sunday. President Rashad al-Alimi vowed to continue fighting until the nation is freed from what he described as the control of a terrorist militia. Saudi Arabia, which supplies and trains Yemeni government forces, is providing extensive air support and has sought logistical assistance from allies to repel the Houthis, restore safe passage through the Red Sea, and halt attacks on its own territory.
On Monday, Riyadh reported conducting hundreds of airstrikes in Yemen to protect the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and support ground operations. The Yemeni government also launched offensives on several fronts, including in the capital province of Sanaa.
The most intense combat remains concentrated in southwestern Yemen, particularly along the coastal areas near the strait and the mountainous regions surrounding Taiz. The Houthis have been attempting to encircle government forces in this strategic city. Last week, Houthi attacks damaged a culvert on the Taiz-Aden road, rendering it impassable. On Sunday night, Houthi fighters reportedly advanced into the town of al-Turbah, situated on a high ridge along the road, although some government sources disputed this claim.
Additionally, a Houthi-run news agency cited a military source stating that the group had expelled government forces from the al-Mawasit district of Taiz province, reaching the residence of Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s interim presidential council. These advances have effectively surrounded Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city with over half a million residents and a significant government military presence, government sources.
Taiz, located in Yemen’s southern highlands, has been a frontline battleground since the early stages of the civil war, frequently subjected to Houthi shelling and sniper attacks. The conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention in 2015 aimed at restoring the government and removing the Iran-backed rebels. The war soon settled into a bloody stalemate, with most frontlines frozen and a severe humanitarian crisis unfolding in one of the Arab world’s poorest countries. A ceasefire reached in 2022 held until this summer, when hostilities resumed with renewed intensity.
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