Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces staged a lightning advance on Monday to retake the coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait up to the city of Mocha, pushing the Iran-backed Houthis out of most of the areas they seized last month, Reuters reported on October 6.
According to the Yemeni government, its forces — backed by heavy Saudi air strikes — reached the outskirts of Mocha late on Monday, with Houthi fighters retreating into the highlands. The defence ministry said the city had fallen, and government forces had already secured key positions including an airstrip in the Dhubab district at the mouth of the strait, whose seizure by the Houthis last month sent shockwaves through energy markets.
A disputed advance
The Houthis rejected the claims, saying the Saudi-backed government's statements were baseless and asserting that they had attacked targets in Saudi Arabia in response — including the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, the Abha airport and the Khamis Mushait military base. Reuters said it could not independently verify the extent of the government gains, and Saudi Arabia and Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Why the strait matters
If confirmed, the advance would loosen the Houthis' grip on a vital Red Sea oil route already under strain alongside Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz — though the Houthis could still strike vessels with drones from other positions. The fighting marks the latest escalation in Yemen's renewed civil war, which has killed at least 959 people and wounded more than 4,200, according to the World Health Organisation, and displaced over 145,000 people inside the country.
Sources: Reuters via Japan Times — Yemeni government forces drive Houthis from Bab el-Mandeb Strait | Reuters via BusinessWorld — Yemeni government forces drive Houthis from Bab el-Mandeb Strait
According to the Yemeni government, its forces — backed by heavy Saudi air strikes — reached the outskirts of Mocha late on Monday, with Houthi fighters retreating into the highlands. The defence ministry said the city had fallen, and government forces had already secured key positions including an airstrip in the Dhubab district at the mouth of the strait, whose seizure by the Houthis last month sent shockwaves through energy markets.
A disputed advance
The Houthis rejected the claims, saying the Saudi-backed government's statements were baseless and asserting that they had attacked targets in Saudi Arabia in response — including the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, the Abha airport and the Khamis Mushait military base. Reuters said it could not independently verify the extent of the government gains, and Saudi Arabia and Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Why the strait matters
If confirmed, the advance would loosen the Houthis' grip on a vital Red Sea oil route already under strain alongside Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz — though the Houthis could still strike vessels with drones from other positions. The fighting marks the latest escalation in Yemen's renewed civil war, which has killed at least 959 people and wounded more than 4,200, according to the World Health Organisation, and displaced over 145,000 people inside the country.
Sources: Reuters via Japan Times — Yemeni government forces drive Houthis from Bab el-Mandeb Strait | Reuters via BusinessWorld — Yemeni government forces drive Houthis from Bab el-Mandeb Strait
