Yemeni government’s military says its forces advancing against Houthis

The internationally recognised Yemeni government claimed its forces had made major battlefield gains against the Houthis. The reported campaign was called “Dawn of Yemen.” It involved targeted operations across the country and was presented as an effort to weaken Houthi military power and reclaim strategic territory.

Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said government forces carried out almost 2,000 targeted operations. He claimed they killed at least 1,150 Houthi fighters, destroyed ammunition dumps, and eliminated at least 180 combat, transport, and supply vehicles. He also said ground troops continued advancing their assault.

These figures could not be independently verified by Al Jazeera. The reported advance focused partly on areas near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, including Mocha and Dhubab. Control of those locations could affect access to a major Red Sea shipping route. The conflict was still expanding, with attacks and threats involving regional and international actors.

The Houthis are an Iran-backed, or Iran-aligned, armed group fighting Yemen’s internationally recognised government and Saudi-backed forces. They are a central force in Yemen’s continuing war. Their territorial control matters because it includes Sanaa, the capital, and parts of northwestern Yemen.

The article states that the Houthis have controlled Sanaa and parts of northwestern Yemen since 2014. It also says they seized an area around the Bab al-Mandeb strait in September, effectively taking control of the strait, although both sides claim control of its shipping lanes. Their position therefore reaches beyond inland Yemen.

The article describes the Houthis as preparing for several fronts. They warned aviation companies away from Saudi airspace and threatened aircraft operating there, excluding flights over Mecca and Medina. They also warned Pakistan against joining military activities on Saudi Arabia’s behalf. The group’s actions could widen the conflict beyond Yemen’s borders.

The reported scale was unusually large for a single 24-hour period. Yemen’s government forces claimed the operations killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and helped advance their assault. Such figures, if accurate, would indicate intense fighting and a concentrated effort to damage the Houthis’ forces and supplies.

Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili reported at least 1,150 Houthi fighters killed. He said almost 2,000 targeted operations had been conducted across Yemen. He also claimed that government forces destroyed Houthi ammunition dumps and at least 180 combat, transport, and supply vehicles. These targets would affect both battlefield operations and logistics.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the claims. The reported operations were part of “Dawn of Yemen,” a Saudi-backed government campaign. Ground forces were said to be advancing near Mocha and Dhubab, close to Bab al-Mandeb. The scale of the claims shows the conflict’s intensity, but it does not establish independently confirmed casualty totals.

Mocha and Dhubab matter because they are southern Yemeni cities on the Red Sea coast. They are close to Bab al-Mandeb, a narrow maritime passage that the article calls a critical trade route for global shipping entering and leaving the Red Sea. Fighting there can therefore have consequences far beyond the nearby towns.

Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are advancing toward these cities in a bid to recapture areas around the strait. Battles are raging around Mocha and Dhubab because their location can help determine who influences access to Bab al-Mandeb. The Houthis seized the area in September, effectively taking control of the strait, although both sides claim control of the shipping lanes.

This makes the cities military and economic pressure points. Control around them can shape naval movement, commercial routes, and the ability to threaten vessels. The article reports that fighting is spreading across several fronts. Continued escalation could make shipping companies and international governments respond to risks near the strait.

The article gives only a brief account of how Houthi control developed. It states that the Houthis have controlled Sanaa and parts of northwestern Yemen since 2014. It does not describe the battles, political developments, or military sequence that allowed them to take the capital and surrounding territory.

The text separately says the Houthis seized the area around Bab al-Mandeb in September. That seizure effectively gave them control of the strait, although both sides claim control of its shipping lanes. The article does not clearly explain whether this seizure was part of the original 2014 expansion or a later development.

What the article does establish is the result: the Houthis hold Sanaa and parts of northwestern Yemen, while Saudi-backed forces are trying to advance against them. This territorial division underpins the current fighting. Battles around Mocha and Dhubab are linked to efforts to regain access near Bab al-Mandeb.

Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognised Yemeni government and its military campaign against the Houthis. Iran is described as backing or aligning with the Houthi group. This outside support turns Yemen’s internal conflict into a regional confrontation, especially around the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The article says Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are advancing near Mocha and Dhubab. After an attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, President Donald Trump said the United States would decide soon whether to join strikes against the Houthis. Pakistan is another possible participant. The Houthis warned that Pakistani military activity on Saudi Arabia’s behalf would bring retaliation.

The reported threats include ballistic missiles toward Pakistan and attacks on Pakistan-flagged vessels in the Red and Arabian seas. The article also says the Houthis warned aircraft away from Saudi airspace. An expert described the fighting as spreading across multiple fronts, with no regional or local mediators currently able to cool the conflict.

A narrow maritime chokepoint concentrates shipping into a limited passage. If fighting makes that passage unsafe, vessels may face attacks, delays, cancellations, or higher insurance and security costs. Some operators may avoid the route entirely. That can slow deliveries and make goods more expensive, even in countries far from the conflict.

The article identifies Bab al-Mandeb as a critical trade route for global shipping into and out of the Red Sea. It says the Houthis effectively took control of the strait in September, while both sides claim control of its shipping lanes. The group also threatened Pakistan-flagged vessels in the Red and Arabian seas.

The article does not provide figures for disrupted trade or rerouted ships. It does show that fighting is spreading and that international actors may become involved. If threats continue, shipping companies could reduce use of the route, and governments could increase military protection. Those responses could deepen the conflict and add further uncertainty to global trade.