Yemeni government forces push Houthis back from key Red Sea oil strait
Photo: The Houthis have lost most of their positions near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (Getty Images)
Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, have pushed the Houthis out of most areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The strait is a key oil transport route through the Red Sea, according to Reuters.
On the evening of October 5, government forces advanced to the outskirts of the city of Mocha, while the Houthis began retreating into the mountains, four government sources told the agency. Yemen's Ministry of Defense stated that the city had come under its control.
The military also seized key positions, including a runway in the Dhubab area near the exit from the strait.
The loss of the coastline near the strait will make it more difficult for the Houthis to attack ships. However, it will not be possible to stop them completely: the militants can still launch drones from other sections of the coast and from deep within the country.
In addition, the Houthis are threatening to attack air traffic over Saudi Arabia.
On another section of the front, the situation is more complicated. According to five military sources, near the city of Taiz, the Houthis have seized part of a mountain road, and government forces find themselves under siege. One of the agency's sources, however, denied that the road had been cut off.
The Houthis have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea since late 2023, and due to the threat, many companies have been forced to avoid this route. The situation has escalated amid the conflict between the US and Iran, which supports the Houthis. Since the start of the conflict, Tehran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and in April, Trump announced that the US would block the Strait of Hormuz itself.
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have so far yielded no results. Iran has called on the US to pursue diplomacy, while mediators from Qatar and Pakistan are trying to broker a deal.
