ع
Yemeni military spokesman Lt. Col. Majid Abdullah al-Nuzayli stated that Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield forces had successfully taken control of the Bab al-Mandab area after seizing Dhubab airport and cutting the road linking the district to the port city of Mokha. The spokesman added that hundreds of Houthi fighters were surrounded in Dhubab and urged them to surrender while noting that some had fled by sea. According to Reuters, Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani confirmed the forces had secured effective control of the strategic waterway though fighting continued at some positions nearby. Al-Nuzayli further reported that government troops carried out 1,122 precision strikes on Houthi artillery, rocket launchers and command centers during the operation.
The offensive known as Operation Dawn of Yemen was launched a day earlier by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, who declared that all avenues for de-escalation had been exhausted. Al-Alimi said the campaign aimed to restore state institutions, liberate the capital Sanaa and end the Houthi insurgency that began more than a decade ago. A Saudi-led military coalition announced that its fighter jets had conducted strikes destroying more than 300 high-value targets in support of the ground advances, according to BBC News reporting. Operations were also reported on fronts near Sanaa and other Houthi-held regions.
Houthi-run media outlets denied that government forces had made any meaningful progress in the Dhubab area or secured the strait. The Iran-backed group had seized Dhubab, Mokha and Perim Island in a surprise coastal offensive last month that shifted control over parts of the waterway, Reuters reported. Yemen analyst Fatima Alasrar noted on X that the latest government advances appeared to reverse some of those Houthi gains around key heights while indicating that Perim Island remained contested. No immediate comment came from Houthi officials on the latest claims.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait serves as a critical chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carrying a significant share of global oil and commercial shipping between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Its seizure by the Houthis last month sent shockwaves through energy markets at a time when Saudi oil exports had already been diverted from the Strait of Hormuz due to regional tensions, a Reuters assessment found. Control of the area has broader implications for maritime security and international trade routes that pass through the Suez Canal. Saudi Arabia, which backs the recognized Yemeni government with arms, training and air power, has sought additional logistical support from allies to restore navigation in the Red Sea.
The latest fighting marks an escalation in Yemen’s long-running civil war that erupted when Houthi forces captured Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi-led intervention the following year. A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 had largely frozen major combat but failed to produce a lasting political settlement, according to multiple conflict monitors. Government forces have now framed the current campaign as a decisive push to end what they describe as the Houthi coup and alleviate civilian suffering across affected provinces. Al-Nuzayli emphasized that operations would continue until all objectives were met while stressing efforts to protect non-combatants.
Field reports cited by the military spokesman claimed that the operations had neutralized 1,747 Houthi elements and destroyed or disabled 364 military vehicles and supply units though these figures could not be independently verified. Pro-government units continued advancing northward along the western coast toward Mokha after consolidating positions in Dhubab, according to statements from the Southern Giants Brigades. The developments come amid warnings from Houthi maritime authorities about the safety of Saudi airspace for civilian flights. Analysts following the conflict indicated that sustained Saudi air support would be crucial for maintaining the momentum of the ground offensive.
