Agencies | Aden/Riyadh:
Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Monday said its forces had recaptured the strategic port city of Mocha and key positions around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, as Saudi-backed forces launched a major counteroffensive against the Houthis along Yemen’s western coast.
The reported gains came as Saudi Arabia intensified its military support for the Yemeni government, with the Saudi-led coalition saying it had deployed around 100 fighter jets to provide air cover for ground operations and target Houthi positions.
Yemeni military sources said government forces had also retaken the Dhubab district and key positions near Bab al-Mandeb, including strategic routes leading towards the strait. The forces reportedly sought to cut Houthi supply lines and consolidate control over the approaches to the waterway.
The battlefield claims could not be independently verified, and the Houthis have disputed reports of their withdrawal from key positions.
The latest offensive is centred on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
Control of the waterway has major implications for international shipping and energy supplies. The Houthis had made significant gains along Yemen’s western coast in recent weeks, including the capture of Mocha and strategic positions around the strait.
Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi air power, have now launched an operation aimed at reversing those gains.
Saudi coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Malki said the coalition had established air protection over Bab al-Mandeb and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets.
The Yemeni government has described the broader campaign as “Yemen Dawn”, with President Rashad al-Alimi saying the operation was intended to restore state institutions and recover territory controlled by the Houthis.
Despite the government’s reported gains on the western coast, fighting has continued on other fronts.
Military sources cited by Reuters said Houthi forces had made advances around Taiz, including positions that could complicate government supply routes to the city. The conflicting claims underline the fluid nature of the battlefield, with neither side providing independently verifiable details of the full extent of territorial changes.
The escalation follows the collapse of a fragile period of relative calm in Yemen. The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and have since controlled large parts of northern and western Yemen.
The renewed fighting has also added to the country’s humanitarian crisis. The UN migration agency said around 184,000 people had been displaced since the latest fighting resumed, according to Reuters.
The escalation in Yemen coincided with a major regional security development in Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye agreed to activate collective defence measures under their Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
The three countries said they would provide agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment to Saudi Arabia in response to attacks attributed to the Houthis.
The agreement follows concerns over Houthi attacks and threats against Saudi territory, including allegations that the group had threatened the kingdom’s major cities and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The Mecca defence agreement was signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye in August. It provides for an attack against one of the participating countries to be treated as an attack against all three, establishing a collective-deterrence framework.
The developments in Yemen are unfolding against a broader backdrop of heightened tensions across the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia’s direct military involvement, the activation of the Mecca defence pact and the battle for Bab al-Mandeb raise the possibility of a wider regional confrontation.
For global trade, the stakes are particularly high. Bab al-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is a critical route for commercial shipping. Any prolonged disruption or threat to maritime traffic could have consequences for shipping costs, energy supplies and international trade.
For Yemen, however, the latest offensive represents another escalation in a conflict that has already devastated the country’s economy and humanitarian infrastructure.
While the internationally recognised government claims to have regained important strategic ground, the Houthis continue to hold substantial territory and retain the ability to challenge government forces on multiple fronts.
The coming days are therefore expected to determine whether the reported gains around Mocha and Bab al-Mandeb can be consolidated or whether the conflict will enter another phase of rapid territorial shifts and intensified regional military involvement.
