Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces launched a counteroffensive near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and said they had driven the Houthis from key positions. The military also advanced toward the Red Sea city of Mocha, The Express Tribune reports.
According to four government sources, Yemeni forces had reached the outskirts of Mocha by the end of Monday, while Houthi fighters were retreating to mountainous areas. Yemen’s Defense Ministry said the city had been taken, but Reuters was unable to independently verify the extent of the government forces’ advance.
Government forces said they had captured several important positions, including an airstrip in the Dhubab area near the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. A Yemeni army spokesperson said the military had carried out more than a thousand strikes on Houthi artillery and missile positions, defensive fortifications, supply lines and logistics facilities.
The Houthis dismissed the government’s claims as unfounded. Saudi Arabia, for its part, reported strikes on hundreds of targets to provide air support to government forces in the strait area. Movement representatives also said through the Saba agency that Saudi Arabia’s airspace was unsafe for civilian flights and could become an area of operations for their forces.
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Despite the government forces’ offensive on the coast, the Houthis, according to government military sources, continued advancing near Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city. They captured sections of a mountain road, increasing the isolation of government forces in the city. At the same time, one government source denied that the route had been completely blocked.
Amid the fighting, damage to a pumping station near Khurais on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline was also reported. An energy sector source told AFP that oil pumping was halted after the attack. The Houthis had previously said they attacked Saudi Aramco facilities, including infrastructure in Khurais.
According to the UN International Organization for Migration, 184,000 people have been displaced since the resumption of the war in Yemen. The armed conflict resumed after the 2022 truce, which had lasted for several years.
