(Machine Gun Mounted on a Patrol Vehicle. Photo by Dawn.com)
Clashes between Yemen’s Houthis and government forces have killed eighty one people, with military and medical sources confirming the toll on Friday as the rebels advance towards territory bordering the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical chokepoint in the strategic Red Sea.
Fighting erupted on Thursday when the Houthis launched a ground assault combined with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas, seeking control of the narrow waterway at the Red Sea’s southern entrance.
The rebels have repeatedly attacked Saudi ships in recent weeks as the Red Sea has become an alternative export route for oil following Iran’s near-total halt of shipments from the Gulf by blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis are now attempting to solidify their grip over one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, which they have disrupted with attacks on passing vessels since the Gaza war began in 2023.
Their current offensive aims to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha, which has been under fire for weeks, and advance towards areas bordering Bab al-Mandeb.
Military sources told news agencies that the rebels have seized elevated sites overlooking government positions near the Red Sea, the coastal town of Khokha and Taiz city inland.
From these elevated positions, the Houthis could target passing ships, according to military officials and a Taiz official who requested anonymity.
A military official on the coast said twenty four of his men had been killed, while another in the Taiz area reported fifteen deaths there.
At least forty two Houthi fighters were killed according to medical sources in areas under rebel control.
The Houthis want to control hills overlooking Bab al-Mandeb and Mokha before attacking the coast.
According to a Yemeni official in Aden, the government’s base since it was ousted from the rebel-held capital Sanaa in 2014.
The government has sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden.
With Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb has gained increased importance as a transit route for oil from Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter.
The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea and, via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean.
Although the Houthis do not control areas directly bordering Bab al-Mandeb, they hold the key port city of Hodeida north of Mokha.
A fragile truce between the Houthis and the government fell apart in July after the rebels welcomed an Iranian plane to Sanaa, setting off a spate of attacks.
The Houthis subsequently announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began attacking its ships and territory as Yemen, following more than a decade of civil conflict, became drawn into the broader Middle East war.
