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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yes, a globalist propaganda victory. now they have an easily targeted airstrip that can not interfere with ansar allahs control of bab al-mandab. i suspect the pirate army will try to launch drones and attempt to interfere with the revolution from here.
positions on the coast are relatively exposed. the houthis doing supply runs in open desert on to places like mocha doesn’t seem feasible. whereas the vicinity of taiz and all the surrounding terrain is mountainous and the houthi siege would be very hard to defeat there