According to Yemeni government sources, the government has launched a massive military campaign to retake control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is a strategic waterway, with intensive Saudi air raids on Houthi positions in western Yemen.
The offensive started with a series of airstrikes against Houthis fighters and positions in Bab al-Mandab, Dhubab, Mokha and its environs, followed by coordinated ground attacks from several directions.
The government said the fighting was the most intense in the region since 2015, with coalition airstrikes killing and injuring dozens of Houthis. The reported casualties have not been independently verified.
The military escalation comes after the Houthis recently tried to make territorial gains on the nearby Mudharabah front, which has led to a government crackdown on the strategically important coastal area.
Saudi Arabia Strikes Houthis Missile Sites
The attack follows Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry saying on Monday that its troops had launched a military operation in Yemen targeting Houthis.
The ministry said the operation destroyed five tunnels for storing ballistic missiles, four missile launch platforms and a missile storage facility.
The operation was aimed at neutralising security threats from repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks, Saudi military spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said.
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The Saudi Press Agency also reported that the strikes hit Houthi fortifications, troop concentrations and military equipment along front lines inside Yemen. The operation was partly intended to cut off supply lines from Houthi-controlled areas.
Al-Maliki stated that the military operation was being conducted in self-defence to safeguard Saudi Arabia’s territory, citizens and residents, and to thwart any attempts to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Bab al-Mandab’s Strategic Significance
The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a key chokepoint in the maritime domain that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It is a major shipping lane for international shipping passing through the Suez Canal between Europe and Asia.
The control of the surrounding coastal areas is of great military and economic value, especially in the face of ongoing security threats to commercial shipping and regional maritime trade.
The new offensive is a major escalation of the conflict on Yemen’s western coast. But it is not clear if the operation will succeed and if government troops will be able to secure a permanent presence in the strategic region.
