Yemeni government forces have announced that they have regained control of the Dhubab district and several strategic positions near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait after launching a major military operation against the Houthi movement.
The internationally recognised Yemeni government said forces from the Homeland Shield Forces and Giants Brigades carried out a large-scale offensive, backed by air support, targeting Houthi positions and movements across Dhubab.
According to Yemen’s official Saba news agency, the government forces advanced and captured key positions, cutting off Houthi supply routes and roads leading towards the strategic Bab al-Mandeb waterway.
The military said several Houthi fighters were killed or wounded during the clashes, while military equipment was also destroyed or damaged.
Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces subsequently launched airstrikes against Houthi positions. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said about 100 fighter jets were supporting Yemeni government forces and that the coalition had secured air protection over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
He also claimed that hundreds of Houthi targets had been destroyed.
Following the reported gains in Dhubab, Yemeni government forces announced a “strategic offensive” targeting Sanaa, the country’s capital, which has remained under Houthi control for more than a decade.
However, Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify the battlefield claims.
Yemen has been embroiled in war since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate to Aden. Fighting intensified after a fragile truce reached in 2022 collapsed in July.
In September, the Houthis captured parts of western Yemen, including the port city of Mocha and strategic islands near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Anti-Houthi forces have since sought to stabilise the front lines.
The latest military developments come as senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan prepare to meet in Riyadh under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Saudi Arabia for the talks, accompanied by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The three countries signed the defence agreement on August 7, establishing stronger military cooperation and collective deterrence. Under the pact, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all three.
Pakistan has also said the talks will consider possible political engagement with the Iran-aligned Houthis as an alternative to further military escalation.
The renewed fighting has raised concerns about civilians caught along the fragmented front lines, with fears that intensified military operations could worsen displacement, hunger and Yemen’s already severe humanitarian crisis.
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