Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Katherine Walters)
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said Monday they had seized key positions near the Bab al-Mandab Strait as they launched a counterattack against the Houthis, seeking to reverse the group’s recent advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Three military sources and a government source told Reuters that government forces had taken large parts of the Dhubab district overlooking the strait and were moving to establish control of the area with heavy Saudi-led air support. The sources said the fighting was aimed at driving the Houthis back from the strategically important waterway.
Yemeni military spokesman Maj. Gen. Majed Abdullah al-Nuzayli said government forces, including the Giants Forces and Nation’s Shield forces, had taken control of the Bab al-Mandab area, Dhubab airport and the road linking Dhubab with Mokha, according to Anadolu Agency.
Arab News also reported that government forces had taken large parts of Dhubab in a flanking operation from the Kahbub Mountains.
Saudi Arabia said the counteroffensive was receiving extensive air support. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets participated in the launch of “Operation Dawn of Yemen” and that 324 high-value targets had been destroyed.
The spokesman added that coalition warplanes were providing round-the-clock support for Yemeni forces on the ground and air protection over Bab al-Mandab while strikes against moving targets continued.
The operation follows President Rashad al-Alimi’s announcement on October 4 of a major campaign to retake territory held by the Houthis and restore government control across Yemen.
The Saudi-backed government has struggled to contain the Houthi advance since the group captured Mokha and positions around Bab al-Mandab in September.
The counterattack is unfolding as the Houthis continue to press government forces around Taiz. Reuters reported on October 4 that Houthi forces were seeking to surround the city and had reportedly pushed into the al-Mawasit district, near the main road linking Taiz with Aden.
Houthi-aligned media denied earlier reports that government forces had made advances around Bab al-Mandab. The competing claims leave the extent of the government’s territorial gains unclear, although the Saudi-backed forces’ reported seizure of parts of Dhubab marks their first major attempt to regain ground at the strait since the Houthis’ September offensive.
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