Dubai: Fighting intensified across western Yemen on Saturday as government forces launched counterattacks against the Iran-backed Houthis, who are pressing towards areas overlooking the strategic Bab Al Mandab strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
Military sources told AFP that the operation was aimed at cutting off the government-held port city of Mokha and advancing towards territory bordering Bab al-Mandab.
The death toll from the fighting had risen to 129 by Friday, according to military and medical sources. A Yemeni military official said 66 government soldiers had been killed, while medical and military sources close to the Houthis reported at least 62 Houthi fighters dead. A civilian was also killed.
The narrow Bab al-Mandab waterway connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean and, through the Suez Canal, provides a major maritime route linking Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean.
Its strategic importance has increased further after Iran largely disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the Red Sea route particularly important for Saudi crude exports.
Yemeni government forces said on Saturday that they had begun a counteroffensive south of Al Jarrahi with support from units of the Giants Brigades.
The military also said it had regained control of all areas in Hays district, while heavy clashes continued with Houthi forces in Al-Kadhah in Taiz.
Yemeni media, citing a military source, reported that government forces had also seized the Saeed Taha and Dhiban heights in Hayfan district in Taiz province.
The Yemeni military’s media centre said warplanes carried out more than 15 air strikes against Houthi positions, gatherings and vehicles on fronts along the western coast in Taiz and Hodeida.
Fighting had already left dozens dead or wounded on Friday and forced hundreds of civilians from areas near the front lines.
Military and local officials told AFP that the Houthis had seized elevated positions overlooking government-held areas near the Red Sea and the inland city of Taiz.
Those positions could potentially allow the group to target ships moving through the surrounding waters, the officials said.
Although the Houthis do not control the coastline directly bordering Bab al-Mandab, they hold Hodeida, the key Red Sea port north of Mokha.
Government officials said the Houthis appeared to be seeking control of hills overlooking Mokha and Bab Al Mandab before attempting to move towards the coast.
The government has sent reinforcements from Aden to Taiz, according to an official in the southern city, which has served as the internationally recognised government’s base since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014.
Rashad Al Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, warned on Friday that any Houthi attempt to advance towards Bab Al Mandab would turn into a “harsh war of attrition” for the group, according to a statement carried by Yemen’s Saba news agency.
His office said Al Alimi and other members of the council were closely following military developments in Taiz and accused the Houthis of responsibility for the humanitarian consequences of the escalation, including the displacement of hundreds of families.
The renewed fighting marks a sharp deterioration in a conflict that had been contained by a fragile truce since 2022.
That truce unravelled in July after the Houthis welcomed an Iranian aircraft to Sanaa, setting off another round of attacks. The group later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began attacking Saudi ships and territory.
