DUBAI: Yemen’s government and the Houthis engaged in deadly clashes on Thursday, sources from both sides said, as a military source accused the rebels of seeking to advance towards the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.
The two Yemeni military sources said 13 government soldiers had been killed, with one of them saying two officers were among the casualties. A military source close to the Houthis said at least 11 rebels had been killed.
Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, in July became the latest country to be dragged into the Middle East war as the Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government.
The Houthis launched a broad offensive along frontlines on the western Red Sea coast, in a bid “to advance towards Bab al-Mandab and areas held by government forces”, a Yemeni military source said.
With Iran’s closure of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab chokepoint has gained increased importance as a transit route for Saudi oil. The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea — and, via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean — to the Indian Ocean.
A second Yemeni government military source said the group was attempting to close in on the port city of Mokha, on the Red Sea, which has come under repeated attack in the past weeks, by severing the route connecting it to Taiz, further inland.
Fierce fighting
The Houthis do not control the coastal areas bordering Bab al-Mandab, but they hold the key port city of Hodeida north of Mokha and have repeatedly attacked Saudi ships in the Red Sea in past weeks.
They also disrupted the strait with attacks on passing vessels after the Gaza conflict broke out in 2023.
Official news agency Saba also reported “fierce fighting” between government forces and the rebels west of Taiz, as well as reporting Houthi missile and drone fire.
Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2026
