Yemeni government forces take Zubab district near Bab-el-Mandeb, army says
In short
Forces backing Yemen's internationally recognized government took control of Zubab district and strategic positions near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait in western Taiz province, a Yemeni military source told the official Saba agency. TASS reported the army almost completely cut the Houthis' supply lines, and RIA Novosti later said the army claimed control of an airport near the strait. The documents give no casualty figures and no Houthi comment on the Taiz operation.
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Forces supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government took control of Zubab district and strategic positions near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait in western Taiz province, a Yemeni military source told the country's official Saba agency, as reported by Vedomosti. TASS reported that Yemen's army retook a district near the strait and was able to almost completely cut the supply lines of the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah. RIA Novosti, citing media, reported the army's control of Houthi positions in Zubab district. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The military source said the operation involved the “Nation Shield” forces, the “Giants” brigades and popular militia units, which fought Houthi formations and struck their positions and deployment sites in various parts of the district. According to the same source, the supply lines and routes leading to the Bab-el-Mandeb strait were cut. Later on the same day, RIA Novosti reported that the Yemeni army said it controls an airport near the strait, without naming the facility. [ 2 , 4 ]
Vedomosti placed the operation in a wider sequence. On 10 September, Houthi forces it described as linked to Iran captured the port city of Mokha on Yemen's west coast and then reached Hanish Island in the Red Sea; on 11 September they took control of Dubab. On 28 September, Yemen's parliament approved a request from Rashad al-Alimi, head of the presidential council and supreme commander of the armed forces, to declare general mobilization against the Houthis. On 4 October, the Houthis struck Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and in the Khurais area with ballistic missiles and drones; Houthi representative Yahya Saree said both operations were carried out successfully, were precise and caused large fires, and the group described the attacks as a response to Saudi strikes on areas it controls while threatening further bombings of Saudi military and oil sites. [ 2 ]
The documents do not give casualty figures for the fighting in Taiz province, carry no Houthi comment on the loss of the positions near the strait, and do not state whether the Zubab district retaken now is the same locality as the Dubab that Vedomosti says the Houthis seized on 11 September; the two spellings are used without explanation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The advance is reported at Bab-el-Mandeb, a Red Sea chokepoint, and comes days after Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi Aramco sites and a Yemeni parliamentary vote for general mobilization. Should the reported gains hold, they would affect both the conflict inside Yemen and the security of a route used by international shipping, though the documents do not discuss shipping or market effects.
Key facts
- Forces supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government took control of Zubab district and strategic positions near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait in western Taiz province, according to a military source cited by Yemen's official Saba agency. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The operation involved the “Nation Shield” forces, the “Giants” brigades and popular militia units, and included battles with Houthi formations and strikes on their positions and deployment sites, according to the same source. [ 2 ]
- TASS reported government forces almost completely cut the supply lines of the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah. [ 1 , 2 ]
- RIA Novosti reported that the Yemeni army said it controls an airport near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, without naming it. [ 4 ]
- On 4 October, the Houthis struck Saudi Aramco energy facilities in Riyadh and in the Khurais area with ballistic missiles and drones, Houthi representative Yahya Saree said, describing both operations as successful and as causing large fires; the Houthis called the strikes a response to Saudi attacks on areas they control and threatened further bombings of Saudi military and oil sites. [ 2 ]
- On 28 September Yemen's parliament approved a request from Rashad al-Alimi, head of the presidential council and supreme commander of the armed forces, to declare general mobilization against the Houthis. [ 2 ]
- The Houthis took the port city of Mokha on Yemen's west coast on 10 September and then reached Hanish Island in the Red Sea, and on 11 September took control of Dubab, according to Vedomosti. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Yemen's army retook a district near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait from the Houthis, with government forces reported to have almost completely cut the group's supply lines. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Forces backing the internationally recognized Yemeni government took control of Zubab district and strategic positions near the strait in western Taiz province, as reported by Yemen's official Saba agency. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Reuters-style outlets of two different types (state agency TASS and business daily Vedomosti) carried the same core development on the same day, as did RIA Novosti. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the Yemeni army controls an airport near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Only RIA Novosti reported it, and the airport is not named or located in any document; no other outlet mentions it.
- Casualty figures for the fighting in Zubab district. None of the documents give any number of killed or wounded on either side.
- The Houthi side's account of the Taiz operation. The documents quote the Houthis only on the strikes against Saudi Arabia, not on the loss of positions near the strait.
- Whether the Zubab district retaken now is the same locality as Dubab, which Vedomosti says the Houthis captured on 11 September. The documents use two spellings of the name and never state whether they refer to the same place.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that Yemen's army has retaken a district near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait from the Houthis and has almost completely cut the movement's supply lines. [ 1 ]
- Vedomosti reports that government-aligned forces took Zubab district and strategic positions in western Taiz province, citing a military source via the Saba agency. [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti, citing media, reports that the Yemeni army has taken control of Houthi positions in Zubab district. [ 3 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that the Yemeni army says it controls an airport near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. [ 4 ]