Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said they have retaken the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one day after announcing the start of a military campaign to recapture territory from the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
Maj. Gen. Majid al-Nujaili, a spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, said on the 5th that "the Giants Brigades and the National Shield Forces have succeeded in securing Bab el-Mandeb," according to Spanish news agency EFE. The two pro-government armed units are leading the offensive along Yemen's western coast and are advancing toward the port city of Mocha.
Al-Nujaili said government forces had cut the road linking Dhubab and Mocha, which overlooks Bab el-Mandeb, and had gained fire control over the route. "We carried out 1,122 precision strikes targeting Houthi artillery batteries, rocket launchers, defensive positions, advance routes and command centers," he said. Reuters, citing military and government sources, also reported that government forces had seized much of the Dhubab area and were pushing to establish full control.
The announcement came hours after Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, declared the start of the operation to recapture territory from the Houthis in a televised address the previous day. The campaign is called "Dawn of Yemen."
The Saudi-led coalition has also formally joined the operation, deploying fighter jets to support Yemeni ground troops. Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, the Saudi coalition spokesman, said 100 fighter jets were taking part in the Dawn of Yemen operation and that air support for ground forces was continuing. "We have struck 324 key targets and are also providing air support to protect the Bab el-Mandeb Strait," he said.
Despite the counteroffensive, the Houthis have continued their ground advance. The rebels are pressing Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city and held by the government, from the east, west and north. According to the Associated Press, the Houthis have moved to cut the main road connecting Taiz with the interim capital of Aden, and Turbah, a key defensive position for Taiz, fell to the Houthis the previous day.
Ahmed Nagi, senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Agence France-Presse that while the Yemeni government's military operation marks an important shift, it is still too early to say a decisive turning point has emerged.
