Yemeni Forces Strike Houthi Positions as Battle for Bab al-Mandeb Intensifies
Yemen's internationally recognised government says its air force has conducted a fresh wave of strikes against Houthi targets in multiple provinces, as fighting intensifies around the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
In a statement issued late Sunday, the Yemeni military said its warplanes hit Houthi militia positions in al-Barah, south of Hodeidah, and on the western outskirts of Marib. The raids also targeted militia encampments and concentrations in al-Lubnat, al-Alam and the provincial capital of al-Jawf, inflicting what the military described as heavy casualties and significant equipment losses.
The Houthis, for their part, claimed to have shot down three Saudi drones within the past 24 hours. Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, said Monday that a Saudi CH-4 armed reconnaissance drone was downed over al-Jawf province while conducting what he called “hostile activities.” He later reported that a Saudi-owned Wing Loong II drone was also brought down in al-Bayda governorate. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia.
The exchanges come at a moment of heightened volatility around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway that has grown even more pivotal since Iran imposed restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year amid its escalating confrontation with the United States and Israel. With Gulf oil exports increasingly routed through the Red Sea, control of Bab al-Mandeb has become a central objective for both Yemen's government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis.
The Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July and have since carried out several attacks on Saudi-linked shipping in the area. On Friday, Yemeni government forces launched their own series of air strikes against Houthi positions as the group attempted to push through western Taiz and southern Hodeidah toward al-Makha and the strait itself.
Analysts note that the recent uptick in strikes and drone interceptions reflects a broader struggle for leverage, with both sides seeking to alter the battlefield calculus before any renewed push for negotiations. The Yemeni government has repeatedly called for international support to secure the Red Sea corridor, while the Houthis remain entrenched in key coastal and inland territories, making territorial gains difficult to consolidate.
The situation on the ground remains fluid, and there has been no independent verification of the battlefield claims from either side. But with the Bab al-Mandeb Strait now at the centre of a widening regional confrontation, the stakes are no longer limited to Yemen's internal conflict.