Yemen Offensive Rekindles Battle for Bab el-Mandeb

Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government has announced a major campaign to retake areas held by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, including the capital, Sanaa. President Rashad al-Alimi said government forces would continue until the country was “liberated from the grip” of the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah. A military spokesperson called on the rebels to lay down their weapons. The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and much of north-western Yemen since 2014, despite years of attacks by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their Western allies. The announcement comes after a Houthi offensive last month reportedly captured the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait and around 150 kilometres of Red Sea coastline. The move has given the group leverage over a major international shipping route and added a new front to the wider US-Israeli war against Iran. The Houthis also said they had launched missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area, claiming the attacks were retaliation for 50 Saudi-led strikes in Yemen over the previous 12 hours. Saudi Arabia had not immediately confirmed the reported attacks. Al-Alimi said the government had exhausted opportunities to de-escalate. The article describes Yemen’s long-running conflict and its regional entanglements. Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015 in support of the government, but did not defeat the Houthis; a 2022 truce largely held until this year. The United States is providing intelligence support for Riyadh’s operations, while some regional and European countries are supplying defensive aid to Saudi Arabia. Houthi forces have also reportedly advanced near Taiz, threatening the last road connecting the city to Aden. Control of that route could effectively besiege Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis. The World Food Programme said last week that fighting had displaced tens of thousands and disrupted supplies to millions, with three in four families in some areas going hungry.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government says it has launched a major military operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, as fighting intensifies around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and elsewhere in the country. The strait is a vital maritime route, and footage aired in a Sky News report showed government forces and Houthi fighters operating nearby. Tafiq Al-Haboun, commander of the Larj National Security Forces, said the current fighting differs from earlier wars with the Houthis because the rebels are using more advanced weapons, including drones, Kornet missiles and long-range ballistic missiles. He said these weapons had not been seen in previous rounds of fighting. The renewed violence has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands. The article says the Houthis captured the strategic city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands the previous month, extending their reach toward the Bab el-Mandeb. The territorial gains were described as the group’s biggest land grab in years and brought an end to a 2022 ceasefire that had largely halted major fighting in Yemen’s 12-year civil war. In recent days, the Houthis have also launched a major offensive against government forces and their allies on the outskirts of Taiz. Their attacks disrupted a major road linking Taiz to Aden, the port city that serves as the seat of the internationally recognized government led by Rashad al-Alimi. Taiz has been under Houthi siege for more than a decade. The account depicts an escalation in fighting, with strategic territory, transport links and a crucial maritime waterway at stake.

The article reports that Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have begun what they describe as a major combat operation against the Houthis. The forces announced a “battle for liberation” aimed at retaking territory still controlled by the group, which the article describes as Iran-backed. The report also says heavy damage was observed at a factory in Sanaa, Yemen’s Houthi-held capital. It does not provide further details about the factory, the cause or timing of the damage, the operation’s location or progress, casualties, or responses from either side. The item was published on October 5, 2026, and is presented as a brief news video report. Overall, it conveys an escalation in the conflict and a stated government objective to regain territory, while leaving the operation’s consequences and broader context unspecified.

The live update reports that Middle East oil exports from countries other than Iran had risen above pre-war levels in September, helped by shipments using routes that avoid the Strait of Hormuz. That improvement has not eased market concerns: Brent crude was around $100 a barrel, fighting intensified around Yemen’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser warned that global oil stockpiles were “scarily thin.” The report also describes continued threats to shipping. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center said an Iranian force warned a tanker entering the Strait of Hormuz to turn back, and the vessel complied. Separately, the agency received a report of explosions near a tanker in the Bab el-Mandeb; its crew was reported safe. Accounts of a fresh strike on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Crude Oil Pipeline conflict: an energy-sector source told AFP that a pumping station was damaged and oil flow stopped, while Reuters and Bloomberg cited sources who said the pipeline was still operating. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government announced an offensive against the Houthis and claimed its military had carried out more than 1,000 strikes and retaken control of the Bab el-Mandeb. Houthi-aligned media disputed claims of government advances. The fighting continued elsewhere, with the Houthis reportedly encircling Taiz and more than 70 people said to have been killed in a day of clashes in the province. The updates place these events within the wider U.S.-Iran conflict, including stalled negotiations over reopening Hormuz after President Trump rejected Tehran’s proposed conditions. The supplied article ends as it begins a further update on Iran’s top diplomat, without providing the rest of that report.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition have launched a major offensive against Houthi forces, escalating a conflict that had been under a four-year ceasefire. The operation followed Presidential Council chief Rashad al-Alimi’s announcement that the government aimed to retake all territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis. Yemeni forces said operations were beginning in Sanaa, while the coalition reported striking Houthi military targets in Hodeida. It said naval forces destroyed weapons depots and facilities holding booby-trapped boats and naval mines, and disrupted a planned threat to Red Sea waterways. Government-aligned forces also claimed to have retaken Dhubab, near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The offensive follows Houthi advances around Taiz. The group captured a key road connecting Taiz with government-held Aden, further isolating Taiz, which has been under siege for more than a decade. AFP reported that more than 70 people had been killed in fighting near the city over the preceding day. The Houthis, in turn, claimed to have launched missiles and drones at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, and other military sites and smaller airports in southern Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the claims. Turkey and Pakistan agreed to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia under a collective-defense agreement with Riyadh, following an emergency meeting. The three countries condemned threats to Saudi security and agreed to provide military forces and capabilities, though they did not clarify the troops’ specific roles. The article traces the renewed fighting to the collapse of a 2022 truce in July, after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sanaa, which Saudi Arabia viewed as challenging its control of Yemeni airspace. The Houthis subsequently announced a maritime blockade and took control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital global shipping route. The group has controlled Sanaa and much of western Yemen since the civil war began in 2014.

France 24 reports that Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces made a rapid advance on Monday, retaking coastal areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and moving as far as the city of Mocha. According to the Yemeni government, the advance pushed the Iran-backed Houthis out of most of the territory they had seized the previous month. The report characterizes the operation as a “lightning advance,” but the supplied article text does not provide details about the size of the forces involved, the locations of individual clashes, casualties, or the precise status of control in each area. It also does not include a response from the Houthis or independent confirmation of the government’s account. The item is presented as a short video report by France 24 correspondent Monte Francis, issued on October 5, 2026, and modified shortly afterward. Its focus is the shifting control of territory along Yemen’s coast near the Bab el-Mandeb, a strategically important strait. The supplied text describes the opposing sides through their reported external support: Saudi Arabia backs the Yemeni government forces, while Iran backs the Houthis. No further explanation of the fighting’s causes or wider consequences is included in the available article text. Overall, the report conveys a development in the conflict while relying on an attribution to the government for its account of the advance and the Houthis’ withdrawal.

Saudi-backed forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government advanced along the coast on Monday, seeking to retake territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and push Houthi fighters away from a vital Red Sea shipping route. The government said its forces had driven the Iran-backed rebels out of most areas they captured the previous month and reached the outskirts of Mocha. Yemen’s Defence Ministry said Mocha had fallen, while four government sources said Houthi fighters were withdrawing into the highlands. The advance was supported by heavy Saudi air strikes. The Houthis responded by claiming they had attacked several important sites in Saudi Arabia: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha International Airport and a military base in Khamis Mushait. The article says these claims could not immediately be verified. Saudi Arabia and Aramco had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. The report frames the coastal operation as an effort to secure the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic passage for Red Sea shipping and oil traffic. Its headline also says Saudi allies have pledged troops, and the deck notes that Pakistan and Turkey are joining a regional force as the Houthis target Riyadh. However, the supplied article text does not provide further details about those troop pledges. The account relies on statements from the Yemeni government, its Defence Ministry and unnamed government sources, while noting that the reported Houthi attacks remained unverified.

The article outlines the principal forces in Yemen’s renewed civil war, which has intensified after a lull that began in 2022. The internationally recognised Yemeni government, based in Aden since the Houthis took Sanaa in 2015, has announced a new offensive to recover territory. It is led by an eight-member Presidential Leadership Council chaired by Rashad Al Alimi, who has called for general mobilisation. Government-aligned forces reportedly number about 122,000, but the International Institute for Strategic Studies says the government has limited control over some factions. Saudi Arabia leads the coalition supporting the government. The coalition said 100 fighter jets were providing air cover for the offensive near the Bab Al Mandeb strait. Saudi Arabia has substantial military resources, while the UAE’s role has diminished since it left the coalition in 2019 and withdrew its remaining counter-terrorism specialists late last year. The opposing Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are backed by Iran and control large parts of Yemen. Led by Abdul-Malik Al Houthi, they have missiles and drones, have attacked Red Sea shipping and Israel, and launched a September offensive to take the Red Sea coast and gain control of the strategically important Bab Al Mandeb. The article says Iran supplied support for the offensive, including through an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operative referred to as “Shadow Man,” while noting that the Houthis have also developed some weapons themselves. Several factions contribute to the government’s campaign. The Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces were said to be supporting a flanking manoeuvre. The Giants Brigades are a southern force estimated at 15,000 to 30,000; the Nation’s Shield Forces are aligned with Saudi Arabia. Other anti-Houthi groups include the National Resistance Forces, led by Gen Tariq Saleh, and Yemeni tribes. The article also stresses divisions among government opponents of the Houthis, including a dispute involving the Hadhrami Elite Forces and southern secessionists. These internal rivalries complicate the government’s effort to regain territory.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were expected to hold a high-level meeting in Riyadh on Monday to discuss the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and efforts to develop the alliance. Statements from the Turkish and Pakistani foreign ministries said defence and foreign ministers, along with military chiefs from Turkey and Pakistan, would attend the strategic political and defence committee meeting. Saudi officials had not immediately confirmed the gathering, although Islamabad said its representatives would meet Saudi counterparts. The talks come amid the continuing war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, and ongoing Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including attacks on energy infrastructure. A Pakistani Foreign Ministry official told The National that the Houthi attacks would be a definite focus. The committee’s agenda also includes the alliance’s institutionalisation, after its first meeting in Istanbul in August. Pakistan said its participation reflected its commitment to regional peace and stability. The three countries signed the Makkah agreement in August to strengthen regional security and collective deterrence. Although the pact’s text has not been made public, the countries said an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all, in a principle comparable to NATO’s Article 5. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan already have a bilateral defence agreement; the three-way arrangement brings together nuclear-armed Pakistan, major oil exporter Saudi Arabia and NATO member Turkey, which is seeking new military cooperation as it develops its domestic defence industry. The article also situates the meeting within the Yemen conflict. Saudi Arabia supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is fighting the Houthis. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad Al Alimi announced military operations to retake territory held by the group. The Houthis had recently captured the Bab Al Mandeb strait and roughly 150 kilometres of Red Sea coastline, strengthening their influence over a crucial international shipping route.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has launched “Yemen Dawn,” a major offensive against Houthi rebels, with a Saudi-led coalition providing air support. Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi said the campaign aims to restore state institutions, retake Sanaa and end Houthi rule. Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said about 100 fighter jets were supporting government forces and that the coalition had established air protection over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The coalition says it has struck hundreds of Houthi targets, although the claims could not be independently verified. The offensive follows a rapid Houthi advance in southwestern Yemen. The rebels captured Turbah, a key town on the road between Taiz and Aden, and had already taken nearby areas. Their gains threaten government supply and retreat routes around Taiz. The Institute for the Study of War warned that control of roads north of Turbah could prevent government forces from reinforcing or withdrawing from the city. The Houthi push has also heightened concern about the Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow passage connecting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden through which roughly 12% of global trade passes. After taking Mokha and nearby islands in September, the Houthis gained control of Yemen’s side of the strait. Saudi-backed forces and the government-allied Giants Brigades have announced attacks on Houthi positions near the waterway. Riyadh’s intervention marks a major escalation, and al-Malki said support would continue until the Houthis are eliminated. The renewed fighting follows months of escalation, including Houthi missile and drone attacks after the group accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa airport, as well as attacks on Saudi-linked shipping. Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and the government fled to Saudi Arabia, prompting the coalition’s intervention. The war has killed more than 150,000 people and caused a severe humanitarian crisis. The latest clashes have reportedly killed more than 800 and wounded over 3,600; more than 145,000 people have been displaced within Yemen and over 3,000 have fled to Djibouti. Fighting has also disrupted healthcare in Taiz, where some medical facilities have closed or are only partly operating.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have agreed to put their collective-defence commitments into immediate effect after an emergency meeting of their Mecca Defence Alliance in Riyadh. A joint statement issued by Pakistan’s foreign ministry says the countries will take steps to provide and rapidly deploy agreed military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia, subject to approved arrangements and each country’s laws. The agreement, signed in August, treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all, though its original text did not detail specific military obligations. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman said the alliance would activate collective deterrence measures following attacks attributed to Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. The statement condemned attempted targeting of Mecca and Medina and reaffirmed the members’ support for Saudi security and territorial integrity. The escalation has coincided with a Saudi-backed offensive in Yemen. Forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government reportedly recaptured several locations near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with air support from the Saudi-led coalition. The coalition says it provided extensive air protection and struck Houthi targets. The offensive followed Houthi advances, including the capture of Turbah, and is intended by the government to regain territory and restore state institutions. The fighting has renewed Yemen’s civil war after a four-year ceasefire. The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and have since advanced along the western coast, gaining control of the Yemeni side of the Bab el-Mandeb, a major maritime route carrying about 12% of global trade. US officials said Washington supported the Saudi-led offensive with intelligence, target identification and planning. The article reports that the latest violence has killed at least 959 people, injured more than 4,200 and displaced about 174,097 within Yemen; more than 3,000 people have fled to Djibouti.