Yemeni government forces report retaking positions near Bab al-Mandeb
Yemeni government forces backed by a heavy Saudi-led air campaign reported retaking key positions near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Monday, marking a sharp escalation in the renewed civil war, according to reports.
Ground Offensive and Air Strikes Along the Red Sea Coast
The internationally recognized government’s military stated on Monday that its forces, including the Homeland Shield Forces and the Giants Brigades, advanced through the Dhubab district and pushed Houthi fighters toward the highlands. According to government sources cited by Reuters, four officials confirmed that troops reached the outskirts of Mocha late on Monday while Houthi forces retreated into the hills.
The operation follows a rapid September offensive in which the Iran-aligned Houthi movement captured Mocha and surrounding territory near the strait. CNN noted that analyst Fatima Alasrar described the counteroffensive as a potential inflection point that breaks the Houthi coastal momentum.
Conflicting Claims and Siege Conditions in Taiz
Contradicting the government’s territorial claims, Houthi officials asserted that reports of a retreat were baseless and pointed to ongoing military pressures elsewhere in the country. Reuters reported that Houthi forces made advances near Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, seizing sections of a mountain road and leaving government forces and thousands of fighters surrounded. Dawn reported that Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV claimed Saudi aircraft carried out 26 strikes on the capital Sanaa, while the Houthi-run health ministry reported two deaths and seven injuries from strikes in Sanaa province.
Civilians continue to bear the immediate brunt of the renewed hostilities. The UN migration agency stated that 184,000 people have been displaced since fighting resumed. In Taiz, residents faced long queues outside petrol stations for fuel and cooking gas as supply routes remained choked by damaged infrastructure.
Diplomatic Talks in Riyadh and Regional Defense Pacts
As battlefield operations intensify, regional diplomacy has shifted to Saudi Arabia. Dawn reported that Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Riyadh for high-level talks. Al Jazeera noted that the discussions involve Saudi and Turkish officials operating under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a collective defense pact stipulating that an attack on one member nation is an attack on all.
Pakistan’s diplomatic delegation addressed a proposal for political engagement with the Houthis as an alternative to the military option, following an approach by Tehran. However, with Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi swearing on Sunday to fight until the country is liberated from the Houthi movement, the prospects for an immediate negotiated settlement remain uncertain as humanitarian conditions deteriorate across the fractured front lines.