Iran-backed Houthi rebels are advancing toward the southern Yemeni city of Aden after seizing a strategic area and forcing government troops to retreat, with their forces now positioned about 50 miles from the city, according to Reuters. It marks the Houthis’ most significant advance toward Aden since 2015, when they briefly entered the city before being pushed back. Aden now serves as the temporary capital of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, and the advance has raised fears of expanded fighting in the country’s south.
1+According to the report, the Houthis launched an offensive three days ago against government positions in the al-Maqatirah area of Lahij province. They succeeded in taking control of the entire region. The attack forced government forces to retreat toward Tur al-Baha, a main access route to Aden. Fighting continued today near a military camp at the entrance to the Tur al-Baha area, located about 50 miles from Aden. The mountainous region where the battle is unfolding overlooks the road connecting Aden to Taiz, and the Houthi advance threatens one of the most important strategic transportation routes in the country’s southwest.
Houthi Advance Also Threatens Bab al-Mandeb Strait.t
The current offensive is part of a broader military campaign the Houthis launched in September, during which they advanced along the Red Sea coast and seized territory near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait—one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, used in part to transport Saudi oil to Asian countries. The latest advance could allow the Houthis to outflank government forces positioned along the mountain ridge overlooking the strait—just weeks after government troops succeeded in pushing the rebels back from the area.
1+Alongside the ground offensive, the Houthis have also intensified attacks on Aden itself in recent weeks. Last Wednesday, the group struck the city’s airport after warning residents to evacuate, and in October the presidential palace was also hit.
More Than 100,000 People Displaced
Beyond the military gains, the fighting is deepening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Taiz, the country’s third-largest city, has been under siege since early October after the Houthis blocked the main road connecting it to Aden. According to the report, the siege has displaced more than 100,000 people and created shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. The transportation corridor now threatened by the Houthis is considered the last remaining route between government-controlled territory and the besieged city.