Government forces backed by heavy Saudi airstrikes launched a rapid offensive along Yemen’s coast and announced Tuesday they’ve retaken the Bab al-Mandab strait area up to the city of Mokha. The Houthis denied reports of a full retreat, and fighting continues around Taiz—even as the rebel group fires threats and attacks at strategic targets inside Saudi Arabia and menaces global shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
3+The fighting centers on one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors, linking the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Suez Canal. After Houthis seized key positions in the strait last month—including the Manat landing in Dhubab district—and rattled energy markets, government forces launched a counteroffensive. Four government sources said troops reached the outskirts of Mokha, and Yemen’s Defense Ministry declared the city had fallen. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition reported naval forces conducted military operations in Hodeidah province on the Red Sea coast, while Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi vowed to keep fighting until the country is freed from the terrorist militia’s grip.
3+The battle picture isn’t one-sided: while the government advances on the coast, five military sources confirmed Houthis made significant gains around Taiz—the country’s third-largest city with over half a million residents. The rebels hit major transport routes, including destroying a water crossing on the Taiz-Aden road and advancing to the town of al-Turbah, and even claimed they reached al-Alimi’s home in al-Mawasit district, leaving Taiz under siege. The ongoing fighting has deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, with the UN migration agency reporting some 184,000 people displaced since the civil war reignited.
3+Despite the ground pressure, the Houthis struck back with their own attacks, claiming they fired missiles and drones at a string of strategic facilities inside Saudi Arabia: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha International Airport, and the Khamis Mushait military base. Facing the escalation, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held an emergency meeting in Riyadh and announced immediate activation of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed in August.
3+Under the pact, the three countries are committing to rapidly deploy forces and defense capabilities on Saudi soil, taking the position that any attack on one will be considered an attack on all—a direct response to attempts to strike the kingdom and Islam’s holy sites.