Yemen government forces say they secured Bab el-Mandeb after Houthi counteroffensive
Version 3: Yemen's government forces now say they have secured the Bab el-Mandeb strait after 1,122 strikes and a Saudi-led coalition air campaign, with the Houthis denying the claim to control Dubab and continuing their advance around Taiz.
In short
Yemen's government forces said on Oct 5 that they had secured the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a day after Rashad al-Alimi declared the start of a military operation to retake territory held by the Iran-aligned Houthis. Government forces said they carried out 1,122 strikes, and a Saudi-led coalition spokesman said 100 fighter jets took part in the operation, named “Yemen's Dawn”; the Houthis denied the government's claim to control the Dubab area. The Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi state oil company Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Qurais, and continued to press their advance around Taiz, where the WHO reports more than 800 people have been killed since early August.
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Yemen's government forces said on Oct 5 that they had secured the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a day after the government declared a military operation to retake territory held by the Iran-aligned Houthis. Government forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Majed al-Nujaili said the Giants Brigade and the National Shield Forces had taken the strait and cut the road between Dubab and Mokha, Seoul Economic Daily reported. Reuters, citing military and government sources, said government forces had seized much of the Dubab area and were seeking full control. [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]
Rashad al-Alimi — called Yemen's president by Kyunghyang Shinmun and chairman of the presidential leadership council by Yonhap and Newsis — said in a televised speech: “Today we declare the start of a military operation to recover the republic's remaining territory and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire country.” Kyunghyang Shinmun said he urged residents of Houthi-controlled areas to cooperate with the army and promised safe return and amnesty to fighters who laid down their weapons, with retaken cities entering reconstruction. Seoul Economic Daily reported the operation is named “Yemen's Dawn”. Newsis dated his instruction to Oct 5; the other outlets reported the speech on Oct 4. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
Government forces said they carried out 1,122 strikes on Houthi artillery, rocket launchers, defences, advance routes and command posts, neutralising 1,747 fighters and destroying or disabling 364 vehicles, Newsis reported, adding that the scale of the damage was not confirmed. The Houthis denied the government's claim to control Dubab, Newsis said. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets took part and 324 main targets were struck, with air support continuing for ground forces and for protection of the strait, according to Seoul Economic Daily. [ 9 , 10 ]
Houthi forces took al-Turba, a key defensive position for Taiz, and were pressing Yemen's third-largest city from several directions while blocking the main road to Aden, Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily reported. Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group fired ballistic missiles and drones at Aramco facilities in Riyadh and in Qurais, 150 km southeast of Riyadh, in response to airstrikes on Sanaa and Saada; Yonhap reported that he did not say when. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
Accounts of US involvement differ. Hankook Ilbo, citing the New York Times, said Saudi Arabia had sent military advisers to coordinate the ground attack and that Washington had sent more than 200 intelligence and military analysts to help analyse and select targets and was refuelling Saudi jets on defensive patrols. Yonhap, citing Axios, said the United States would provide intelligence but would not join direct military strikes, while Kyunghyang Shinmun said Saudi Arabia had repeatedly asked its ally for support and Washington had indicated a negative stance. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
Reuters reported on Oct 2 that the offensive was being prepared with more than 100,000 government and pro-government fighters possibly mobilised, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun, Yonhap and Chosun Ilbo. Yonhap said the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015, and that a 2022 UN-brokered truce ended when the Houthis declared it over in July; Newsis said the Houthis claimed last month to have seized about 150 km of Red Sea coastline. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 10 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported, citing the World Health Organization, that more than 800 people had been killed in Yemen since early August and more than 150,000 displaced, and, citing the World Food Programme, that 18.3 million people faced food shortages and about 2.2 million children under five had severe malnutrition. Defence analyst Ibrahim Jalal told Al Jazeera the conflict had entered a new phase, while Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group told AFP the government's operation was an important change but it was too early to speak of a decisive turning point, Seoul Economic Daily reported. [ 6 , 9 ]
Why it matters
The operation is centred on the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which the documents describe as a narrow waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and a key route for international shipping between Asia and Europe, so fighting there can affect commercial voyages and global logistics. The Houthi claim of missile and drone attacks on Aramco facilities in and near Riyadh shows the conflict can reach Saudi energy infrastructure, and the documents show the scale of US involvement remains in question.
Key facts
- Yemen's government declared the start of a military operation to retake territory held by the Houthis, announced by Rashad al-Alimi in a televised speech. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 10 ]
- Government forces said on Oct 5 that they had secured the Bab el-Mandeb strait and taken the Dubab area; the Houthis denied the Dubab claim. [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- Government forces said they carried out 1,122 strikes and operations, neutralising 1,747 Houthi fighters and destroying or disabling 364 vehicles, figures Newsis said were not confirmed. [ 9 , 10 ]
- Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets took part and 324 main targets were struck, with air support for ground forces and for protection of the strait. [ 9 ]
- Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group fired ballistic missiles and drones at Aramco facilities in Riyadh and in Qurais, 150 km southeast of Riyadh, in response to airstrikes on Sanaa and Saada; he did not say when the attack took place. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
- Reuters reported on Oct 2 that government forces and Saudi Arabia were preparing a ground and air offensive, with more than 100,000 government and pro-government fighters possibly mobilised. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reported, citing the WHO, that more than 800 people had been killed in Yemen since early August and more than 150,000 displaced, and, citing the WFP, that 18.3 million people faced food shortages and about 2.2 million children under five had severe malnutrition. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Yemen's government declared the start of a military operation to retake territory held by the Houthis, and Rashad al-Alimi announced it in a televised speech. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 10 ]
- Government forces said on Oct 5 that they had secured the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Dubab area on Yemen's western coast. [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- Government forces said they carried out 1,122 strikes or operations against Houthi positions; Newsis reported that the casualty and damage figures given with the claim were not confirmed. [ 9 , 10 ]
- The Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles and drones at Aramco facilities in Riyadh and in Qurais, 150 km southeast of Riyadh. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
- Reuters reported on Oct 2 that Yemeni government forces and Saudi Arabia were preparing a ground and air offensive, with more than 100,000 government and pro-government fighters potentially mobilised and the Bab el-Mandeb strait as the reported objective. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- How far the United States is taking part in the operation. Hankook Ilbo, citing the New York Times, reports more than 200 US intelligence and military analysts sent to Saudi Arabia and aerial refuelling for Saudi jets, while Yonhap, citing Axios, says Washington will give intelligence but not join direct strikes, and Kyunghyang Shinmun says the United States has indicated a negative stance. No official US source is cited.
- Whether government forces fully control Dubab and the Bab el-Mandeb area. Newsis reports that the Houthis denied the government's claim to control Dubab, and Seoul Economic Daily, citing Reuters, says government forces took much of Dubab and were still pursuing full control.
- The number of Houthi fighters killed or disabled and vehicles destroyed. Newsis explicitly says the scale of the damage claimed by government forces was not confirmed.
- The date of al-Alimi's instruction to the armed forces. Newsis dates the instruction to Oct 5, while Kyunghyang Shinmun, Yonhap and Hankook Ilbo report the televised speech on Oct 4.
- When the Houthi attack on the Aramco facilities took place. Yonhap reports that spokesman Yahya Saree did not say exactly when the attack happened, and no damage figures or Saudi confirmation are given.
- Al-Alimi's title. Kyunghyang Shinmun calls him Yemen's president, while Yonhap and Newsis call him chairman of the presidential leadership council.
- When Houthi forces took the al-Turba area near Taiz. Seoul Economic Daily says it fell the day before its Oct 5 report, while Hankook Ilbo describes the capture as happening as the declaration was made and gives no date.
- The Saudi-led coalition said 100 fighter jets took part in the operation and that 324 main targets were struck. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Reuters reports that Yemeni government forces and Saudi Arabia are preparing a ground and air offensive against the Houthis, with more than 100,000 fighters possibly mobilised. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Government forces heavily bomb Sanaa and other Houthi-held areas, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun. [ 1 ]
- Rashad al-Alimi declares in a televised speech the start of a military operation to recover remaining territory and extend state authority, and asks residents of Houthi-controlled areas to cooperate with the army. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 10 ]
- Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree says the group fired ballistic missiles and drones at Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Qurais in response to airstrikes on Sanaa and Saada; he does not give the time of the attack. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
- Houthi forces take al-Turba on the outskirts of Taiz; Seoul Economic Daily says the position fell the previous day. [ 6 , 9 ]
- Government forces announce they have secured the Bab el-Mandeb strait and struck 1,122 targets; the Houthis deny the claim to control Dubab. [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes the government's claim of securing the strait and the coalition's account of the air campaign. [ 9 ]
- Newsis publishes its account of the operation, the government's strike claims and the Houthi denial. [ 10 ]