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Yemen's internationally recognized government announced on Monday that its forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, have successfully "secured" the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The declaration came at the outset of a large-scale military campaign aimed at reclaiming territory held by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, marking a significant escalation in the country's long-running civil war.
According to a statement from the Yemeni military, the National Shield, Giants Brigades, and Tihama Resistance forces captured the Red Sea coastal city of Mokha on Monday afternoon, with assistance from Saudi air strikes. The government described the operation as a decisive step toward restoring its authority over the strategically vital waterway, through which a substantial portion of global maritime trade passes.
However, conflicting accounts quickly emerged regarding the extent of the advance. Unnamed Yemeni government and military sources told the Reuters and AFP news agencies that pro-government forces had only reached the outskirts of Mokha, contradicting the official announcement of the city's capture. Four government sources informed Reuters that Yemeni forces had arrived at Mokha's perimeter late on Monday, with Houthi fighters reportedly in retreat.
Government military sources speaking to AFP declined to confirm the city's fall but stated that "our forces took control of the Dhubab military airfield and cut the road linking the Dhubab district to the Bab al-Mandab area." Earlier in the day, the Yemeni military had also claimed the seizure of Dhubab airport, located approximately 45 kilometers (27 miles) to the south, and said it was besieging Houthi fighters inside the nearby town.
Houthi-run media outlets denied the government's claims of advances in Dhubab, underscoring the difficulty of verifying battlefield developments in the conflict. The Houthis did not comment on the situation in Mokha, leaving the full picture of the day's events unclear. The divergent reports highlight the challenges of obtaining accurate information in a war zone where both sides have incentives to shape the narrative.
The offensive, dubbed Operation Yemen Dawn, was announced on Sunday by Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council. Al-Alimi declared that all opportunities for de-escalation had been exhausted and called on all forces to carry out their assigned missions "until the country is liberated from the grip of the Houthi terrorist militia." The operation represents the most ambitious government effort in years to roll back Houthi territorial gains.
The announcement of the offensive followed reports that Houthi fighters had cut a mountain road near the south-western city of Taiz, effectively surrounding government forces and residents in the area. The move appeared to be part of a broader Houthi strategy to consolidate control over key access routes and apply pressure on government-held enclaves.
In a sign of the conflict's widening regional dimensions, Turkey and Pakistan, both allies of Saudi Arabia, convened an emergency meeting in Riyadh on Monday. According to a joint statement shared by Pakistan's foreign ministry, the two nations agreed to rapidly deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia under the framework of their Mecca defense pact. The development signals growing concern among Saudi allies about the threat posed by Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for a series of retaliatory strikes, stating they had launched ballistic missiles and drones at oil facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco in Riyadh and the Khurais area. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on Telegram that the group had attacked Riyadh's international airport, an Aramco oil refinery, Abha airport, and other sites. The Houthis framed the attacks as retaliation for dozens of Saudi strikes on their territory.
BBC Verify reported that satellite imagery from Saturday showed thick, dark smoke emanating from the site of a strike at the Aramco Riyadh Refinery in the city's south-east. Similar plumes of smoke were visible rising from the Khurais Central Processing Facility, as well as from a potential strike point in imagery from Sunday. The visual evidence lends credence to Houthi claims of significant damage to Saudi oil infrastructure, though the full extent of the damage remains unconfirmed.
Saudi Arabia condemned the Houthi attacks and reiterated its call for the permanent members of the UN Security Council to support Yemen's government. The kingdom has long accused Iran of providing military support to the Houthis, a charge Tehran denies. The attacks on Saudi oil facilities recall the 2019 strikes on Aramco's Abqaiq and Khurais facilities, which temporarily halved the kingdom's oil output and sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that Saudi air strikes killed a schoolgirl and a woman in the Sanhan and Saawan districts of Sanaa on Monday. Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam accused Saudi Arabia of committing "dozens of massacres" and warned that the kingdom must "bear all the consequences." The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre also issued a warning to civilian airlines, stating that Saudi airspace—except for the skies above the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina—was no longer safe because it had become "a theatre of operations."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "the continued Houthi cross-border attacks" on Saudi Arabia and expressed deep concern about "the sharp escalation in fighting," according to a statement provided to AFP. The UN has repeatedly warned that Yemen's conflict risks destabilizing the wider region and exacerbating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
The current escalation follows the unraveling of a four-year informal ceasefire that began to collapse in July. At that time, the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and initiated missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea. The Houthis stated they were retaliating for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in their territory, as well as an air strike on Sanaa airport that they attributed to the kingdom.
Last month, the Houthis launched a surprise offensive along Yemen's south-western Red Sea coast, quickly dislodging pro-government forces from areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, including Mokha, Dhubab, and Perim (Mayyun) Island. The government's current operation appears designed to reverse those gains and reassert control over the strategic corridor.
Yemen has been mired in civil war since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the government into exile. The conflict escalated dramatically in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened militarily in an attempt to restore the government's rule. The war has since killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, and pushed the country to the brink of famine, with infrastructure devastated and basic services collapsing.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a critical global shipping lane, with an estimated 8-10% of world trade passing through its waters, including oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to Europe and North America. Control of the strait and its surrounding coastline has been a central objective for both sides in the conflict, given its economic and strategic significance. The Houthis' earlier seizure of areas overlooking the waterway raised international concerns about the safety of commercial shipping.
As Operation Yemen Dawn unfolds, the coming days and weeks will be crucial in determining whether the government's claims of territorial gains hold. The conflicting reports about Mokha's status suggest that the situation on the ground remains fluid and contested. International observers will be watching closely for signs of further escalation, particularly given the involvement of regional powers and the potential for disruptions to global energy supplies and maritime trade.
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