Saudi-Led Coalition Retakes Key Areas Near Bab el-Mandeb as Houthis Strike Saudi Targets

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have recaptured several strategic areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Iran-backed Houthi forces, marking a major escalation in fighting along Yemen’s western coast and around one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.

Yemeni officials said forces aligned with the internationally recognized government retook Dhubab, a strategically important town immediately north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Government forces also captured the towns of Bab and Hadeid as part of the offensive.

Witnesses reported seeing government tanks and troops moving into the captured areas after Houthi forces were pushed back.

The offensive began early Monday under extensive air cover from the Saudi-led military coalition. Saudi-backed forces have been attempting to restore control over coastal territory overlooking the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Control of Bab el-Mandeb has major consequences beyond Yemen.

The strait sits between Yemen and the Horn of Africa and forms the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Ships moving between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal must pass through the corridor, making it critical to international trade, energy transportation and maritime security.

The latest offensive therefore represents more than another territorial battle in Yemen’s long-running conflict. Control of the western coastline gives the side holding it greater ability to influence maritime traffic through the southern Red Sea.

The Houthis responded to the offensive by claiming a series of missile and drone attacks against targets across Saudi Arabia.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement that the group used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones in operations against several Saudi targets.

Saree said King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was targeted, along with an oil refinery operated by Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea city of Rabigh.

He also claimed attacks against Abha airport, military facilities in Khamis Mushait and what he described as other critical or sensitive locations in Najran and Jizan in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm all of the Houthi claims.

The attacks indicate that the battle over Yemen’s western coast could increasingly extend beyond Yemeni territory and place Saudi aviation, energy infrastructure and military facilities under renewed pressure.

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh has also warned about the possibility of further attacks as tensions increase.

Saudi authorities separately warned residents against photographing or publishing images showing missile and drone interceptions or impact locations, reflecting growing concern about the security implications of the expanding confrontation.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington expected the Saudi-backed Yemeni government to respond militarily and attempt to recover territory seized by the Houthis.

Asked whether the operation had been coordinated with Washington, Rubio pointed to the defense relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States but did not provide details about operational coordination.

Rubio said Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government had the right to defend themselves after Houthi attacks and territorial advances.

The United States has also provided support to Saudi Arabia in the renewed campaign, according to officials cited in reports on the offensive.

That assistance has included intelligence sharing, assistance identifying targets and support in planning military operations. Reuters reported before the offensive that U.S. intelligence support was expected to play a role in a Saudi-backed campaign designed to recover areas surrounding Bab el-Mandeb.

The renewed fighting comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Red Sea security.

For years, instability in Yemen has threatened vessels using the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Any prolonged confrontation around Bab el-Mandeb could further increase risks for commercial shipping and potentially force vessels to reconsider routes through the region.

The strait's importance has grown further because it links the Indian Ocean shipping system with the Suez Canal, one of the main trade arteries connecting Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

The latest military campaign appears intended to push Houthi forces away from that corridor while restoring government control across Yemen’s southwestern coastline.

But Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia demonstrate that territorial gains inside Yemen may not end the confrontation.

The Houthis retain the capability to threaten infrastructure beyond Yemen’s borders, creating a wider security challenge for Saudi Arabia and other states dependent on the Red Sea trade corridor.

The escalation also adds another layer to Yemen’s regional conflict.

Saudi Arabia has long supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government, while Iran has backed the Houthis. The renewed fighting places those competing interests once again at the center of the struggle for control of Yemen’s western coastline.

The immediate military contest is now concentrated around Bab el-Mandeb and the approaches to the Red Sea.

Who controls that coastline will influence not only the balance of power inside Yemen, but also security across one of the most strategically important maritime corridors in the world.