Houthis say they pushed back Yemen government forces near Bab el-Mandeb
In short
Yemen's Houthi movement said on 6 October that it fired ballistic missiles at forces of Yemen's Saudi-backed interim government as they tried to advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, and forced them to retreat. The Houthis also said they struck Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, while Saudi authorities reported attacks on Jizan and Najran airports the previous day. Japanese outlets describe fighting over the strait as continuing, and report no independent confirmation of the Houthi claim.
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The Houthi movement said on 6 October that it fired ballistic missiles at forces of Yemen's interim government as they tried to advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, and forced them to retreat. Sankei Shimbun reported that fighting over control of the strait appears to be continuing. The same claim was carried in the headlines of Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun, which described fighting over the strait as possible. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to Sankei Shimbun, Yemen's interim government forces operate alongside the Saudi-led coalition in attacking the Houthis, and the Bab el-Mandeb strait off Yemen is one focus of the fighting. The outlet reported that the Houthis declared a naval blockade targeting Saudi vessels and took control around the strait in September. [ 3 ]
The Houthis also said on 6 October that they had attacked Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and that airport operations were disrupted. They described Saudi airspace as “a stage for our military operations,” indicating they intend to keep up the attacks, Sankei Shimbun reported. [ 3 ]
Separately, Saudi authorities said on 6 October that there had been attacks targeting Jizan and Najran airports in the south on 5 October, and that the Houthis may have carried them out, according to Sankei Shimbun. [ 3 ]
Tokyo Shimbun published a photograph caption stating that a video of a soldier of Yemen's interim government army standing by a roadside was released on 5 October, in Taiz province, Yemen, credited to the interim government army via Reuters and Kyodo. [ 2 ]
The documents do not report any response from Yemen's interim government or the Saudi-led coalition to the Houthi claim of a retreat, give no casualty or damage figures, and do not independently confirm the Houthi statements. The Japanese reports treat the fighting over the strait as possible rather than established. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The documents describe Bab el-Mandeb as a strategic point at the entrance to the Red Sea, and say the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi vessels and took control around the strait in September, so the claim of pushing back the Saudi-backed interim government forces bears directly on who holds that chokepoint. The reported missile strikes on Saudi airports, including Abha, Jizan and Najran, and the Houthi statement that Saudi airspace is a stage for its military operations point to a wider conflict with Saudi Arabia rather than a single front. No casualty figures or independent verification appear in the documents.
Key facts
- The Houthis said on 6 October that they fired ballistic missiles at Yemeni interim government forces attempting to advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait and forced them to retreat [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yemen's interim government forces operate with the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, and the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the entrance to the Red Sea is described as one focus of the fighting [ 3 ]
- The Houthis said they declared a naval blockade targeting Saudi ships and took control around the Bab el-Mandeb strait in September [ 3 ]
- The Houthis said they attacked Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles on 6 October, disrupting flights, and said Saudi airspace is “a stage for our military operations,” signalling further attacks [ 3 ]
- Saudi authorities said on 6 October that there had been attacks targeting Jizan and Najran airports in the south on 5 October, and that the Houthis may have been responsible [ 3 ]
- A video of a soldier of Yemen's interim government army in Taiz province, Yemen, was published on 5 October, credited to the interim government army via Reuters and Kyodo [ 2 ]
- Japanese outlets presented the fighting over the strait as possible rather than confirmed, using the headline formulation that the Houthis claimed the interim government forces “retreated” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the Houthi claim that the interim government forces were forced to retreat is accurate Only the Houthi side is reported; no statement from Yemen's interim government or the Saudi-led coalition appears in the documents
- The extent and intensity of fighting around the Bab el-Mandeb strait The Japanese reports hedge with wording that fighting “appears” to be continuing, and give no details of locations, units or duration
- Casualties or damage from any of the reported attacks No casualty, injury or damage figures appear in the documents
- Whether the Houthi attack on Abha airport took place and disrupted flights This is a Houthi claim only; no Saudi confirmation of the Abha attack is reported, only Saudi statements about Jizan and Najran
- The Houthi takeover of territory around Bab el-Mandeb in September and the declared naval blockade of Saudi ships Reported by a single outlet and attributed to the Houthis, without independent confirmation
- The exact location of the reported fighting The documents place the events in Yemen and Saudi Arabia generally, naming a strait, airports and a province rather than a city
- Saudi authorities stated that attacks targeted Jizan and Najran airports in southern Saudi Arabia on 5 October, and that the Houthis may have been behind them Reported by a single source so far