World · Aden, Yemen
Yemen: Coalition Offensive Retakes Towns Near Red Sea Strait
In brief
Forces backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, said on Monday they had pushed Houthi rebels out of several towns around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Yemeni officials told the Associated Press that government-allied troops retook the town of Dhubab, just north of the strait, as well as the towns of Bab and Hadeid. The officials spoke anonymously, and witnesses described tanks and soldiers entering the towns. The push was part of a large offensive that began early on Monday with air support from the Saudi-led coalition.
A coalition spokesman said around 100 fighter jets were supporting the operation and that the coalition had secured air cover over the strait. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman, Rashad al-Alimi, described the operation as an effort to restore state institutions and retake the capital, Sanaa, which the Houthis have held since 2014.
The offensive followed weeks of Houthi gains. In early September the group advanced along the Red Sea coast and took the port city of Mokha and several islands, giving it control of the Yemeni side of the strait. On Sunday the Houthis also captured the town of Turbah on a key road between Taiz and Aden. According to AP, U.S. officials said Washington has provided intelligence and planning support to Saudi Arabia, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saudi Arabia has a right to defend itself.
AP also cited World Health Organization figures saying the latest fighting has killed at least 959 people, and United Nations migration agency figures showing that more than 170,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen.
Why it matters
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries a large share of world trade, so fighting there can affect shipping costs and supply chains far beyond Yemen. The offensive also ends a four-year lull in Yemen’s civil war.
Sources
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