Yemen government forces seized key positions near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday, Oct. 5, as they launched a major push against Houthi fighters, raising fears that fighting could disrupt one of the world’s most important shipping and energy routes.
The government forces took large parts of the Dhubab district, which overlooks the strategic strait, according to reports. The forces were seeking to regain territory captured by the Houthis last month, with support from airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition.
Houthi-linked media denied the reported advances, calling the claims “completely untrue.” The fighting is also intensifying around Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.
Houthi fighters advanced toward parts of a mountain road leading to the city late Sunday. One government official denied that the road had been completely cut off.
The latest fighting has raised new concerns about the safety of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The conflict comes as regional tensions have already disrupted another major shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz. With energy exports through Hormuz restricted, further disruption around Bab el-Mandeb could put additional pressure on global oil supplies and prices.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government that it had launched a new offensive to take back territory from the Houthis. President Rashad al-Alimi said the government would continue fighting until Yemen was freed from what he called the “grip of the terrorist militant.”
Saudi Arabia, which supports and trains Yemeni government forces, is backing the offensive with air power. Riyadh said that its forces had attacked hundreds of targets in Yemen as part of efforts to protect the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and support Yemeni ground forces.
The Saudi government also said it wants to restore safe shipping through the Red Sea and stop Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.
Houthi fighters have been trying to tighten their control around Taiz, where government forces have faced years of pressure. On Sunday night, Houthi fighters reportedly advanced into parts of al-Turbah, a town located on high ground along the road.
A news agency also reported Monday that Houthi fighters had pushed government forces out of the al-Mawasit district in Taiz province and had reached the area near the home of Alimi, who heads Yemen’s interim presidential council.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of the capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and its allies entered the conflict the following year with an air campaign aimed at restoring the internationally recognized government.
The war eventually reached a long stalemate, leaving much of the country divided and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
A ceasefire reached in 2022 brought a period of relative calm along many frontlines. That truce largely held for several years before renewed regional tensions and fighting brought the conflict back into focus.
The latest battle for territory around Bab el-Mandeb and Taiz could further destabilize Yemen and put pressure on a critical international trade route already facing growing security risks.
