The Saudi-led coalition says it is providing air support for a new Yemeni government offensive against the Houthis, as fighting intensifies around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said 100 fighter jets took part in strikes on Monday, 5 October, and that air support would continue for government forces on the ground. The number of aircraft and the extent of the strikes have not been independently verified, according to Associated Press.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government announced the offensive on Sunday, saying it intended to recover territory held by the Houthis. Government-aligned forces subsequently attacked positions around Dhubab, close to the strait, where the Houthis made gains in September.
Control of the strait remains contested
Yemen’s information minister told Reuters that government forces had secured effective control of Bab el-Mandeb. Reuters also reported continuing fighting near the strait, while the Houthis denied that government forces had made gains. The minister’s account should therefore be treated as a government claim, rather than a settled outcome.
Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is an important passage for international shipping. Even if government forces hold the immediate coastline, Reuters reported that the Houthis could still threaten vessels with drones launched from farther inland or along the coast.
The Houthis have also advanced around Taiz. Accounts from government sources differ over whether they have cut a key road serving the city. That leaves the course of the wider offensive uncertain despite the coalition’s air support.
