Yemeni forces seize Dhubab district in offensive near Bab el-Mandeb

ADEN, Oct 5: Yemen’s government forces said Monday they had seized the Dhubab district in western Taiz province and key positions overlooking the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait after clashes with Iran-backed Houthi forces.

Yemen’s official Saba news agency reported that forces from the Nation’s Shield and the pro-government Southern Giants Brigades, backed by the Popular Resistance, captured Dhubab and strategic positions around the strait.

A military source told Saba that the forces launched a large-scale operation, supported by airstrikes, against Houthi positions and movements in several areas of the district. The advancing forces also cut supply lines and routes leading toward Bab el-Mandeb, the source said.

The source reported that an unspecified number of Houthi fighters were killed or wounded and that several military vehicles and pieces of equipment were destroyed or damaged.

The Southern Giants Brigades separately announced what it described as a “decisive” military operation against the Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb area, saying its first contingents had arrived there. Reuters independently reported government attacks on Houthi positions in Dhubab and the arrival of Giants Brigades forces in the Bab el-Mandeb area, although it did not independently confirm the full capture of Dhubab.

The developments came a day after Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi announced the start of military operations to retake Houthi-held territory and restore state authority across Yemen. Saba described the move as a shift into what the government calls the “liberation” phase.

Bab el-Mandeb is a strategically important maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a major route for international shipping.