Yemeni government forces claimed on Monday they had seized key positions around the Bab Al Mandeb strait and the Dhubab area overlooking the sea lane, as a Saudi-led coalition said 100 fighter jets were taking part in an anti-Houthi offensive.
Coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki Al Malki said the alliance was providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni armed forces on the ground and air cover for the Bab Al Mandeb strait, with operations against moving targets continuing.
He said 324 “high-value” Houthi targets had been destroyed in the offensive, with 100 fighter jets involved.
Yemen's armed forces also began a “strategic offensive” on the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, on Monday, said their spokesman, Col Majed Al Nuzaili. “We are using advanced capabilities,” he said. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV has confirmed attacks on Sanaa.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry said a woman was killed by an air strike on a farm in the Sanhan area of Sanaa, while another attack on a car in Sawan killed a girl and injured seven other people.
The Yemeni colonel said government forces had carried out a flanking manoeuvre to take control of Bab Al Mandeb, with the Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces securing the strategic strait.
He said government forces also took control of Dhubab airport and cut off the road linking Dhubab with Mokha, establishing control over the route.
Hundreds of Houthi fighters were surrounded in Dhubab and were called on to surrender, while some fighters fled by boat, Col Al Nuzaili said. The claims could not immediately be independently verified and have not been confirmed by the Houthis.
The developments followed an announcement by Rashad Al Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who said Operation Yemen Dawn had been launched to restore state institutions, retake Sanaa and end the Houthi “coup”.
“With God's aid, the will of our people, the valour of our armed forces and all military formations, and the support of our brothers and friends, Yemen will march towards a new dawn of freedom, peace and stability,” Mr Al Alimi said.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government launched the offensive on Sunday to retake territory from the Iran-aligned Houthis.
The coalition said its air operations were continuing, including strikes against moving targets.
The Yemen conflict began after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year with an air campaign aimed at restoring the government and ousting the rebel group.
The fighting quickly ground to a bloody stalemate with most front lines stalled, leading to a major humanitarian crisis in what was already the poorest Arab state. A ceasefire agreed in 2022 largely held until this summer.
Saudi Arabia, which arms and trains Yemeni government forces, is backing the current military campaign with air power and has sought logistical help from allies to push back the Houthis, restore free traffic in the Red Sea and end the group's attacks on its territory.
