Yemeni government forces advance against Houthi rebels near Bab al Mandab

Yemeni government forces are advancing against Houthi rebels around the Bab al-Mandab strait, France 24 and AOL.co.uk reported on Saturday. The operations follow an announcement a week earlier by the Saudi-backed government that it was starting a counter-offensive to retake land seized by the pro-Iran group during an offensive last month. Reports from Al-Monitor and Kurdistan 24 noted that Saudi officials claimed allied forces had captured the strategic strait. [1][3][4][6]

Military developments in the region include Coalition footage showing the clearing of the Bab al-Mandab area and Houthi elements fleeing by sea under intense fire, according to Sout Al-Emarat. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Operation Dawn of Yemen cleared the strait and its islands of remaining Houthi forces. Meanwhile, the Telegraph reported that refugees in Yemen are fleeing the Red Sea fighting, stating they are more afraid of airstrikes than of the Houthis. [2][5][7]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Yemen's internationally recognized government launched Operation Dawn of Yemen to recapture Red Sea coastal areas, while Houthi forces previously denied losing ground. On 3 September 2026, the Houthis initiated an offensive against the UN-recognized Presidential Leadership Council. Houthi forces seized the port city of Mokha, advanced toward the strait, moved onto the Hanish Islands, and declared a shipping blockade that pushed global oil prices above $100 a barrel. [8][9][12]

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a key global choke point in the Red Sea. Historical internal divisions in Yemen stretch back to the 1994 civil war and the ongoing conflict that erupted in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured the capital city of Sanaa. [9][10][11]