World Affairs
Yemen government claims control of Bab el-Mandeb
The claim follows the launch of Yemen's Dawn of Yemen campaign. AP reported officials' claims of gains near the strait, while Reuters said fighting continued and could not independently verify how far government forces had advanced.
Executive summary
- Operation named and launched: Presidential council chair Rashad al-Alimi said the Fajr al-Yemen (Dawn of Yemen) operation had begun, according to Yemen's state-run SABA agency, which quoted a post from his X account. He described goals including restoring state institutions and retaking Sanaa; those aims are not verified battlefield outcomes.[1]
- Control claim remains unverified: Yemen's information minister told Reuters that government forces had secured effective control of the strait, with fighting still under way; Reuters said it could not independently verify the extent of the gains. AP reported officials' claims that forces retook Dhubab, Bab and Hadeid, and witnesses' accounts of forces and tanks entering the towns.[2][3]
- Territorial control remains disputed: Reuters said the Houthis described government claims as baseless, and Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify battlefield reports. The reporting does not establish that the strait is fully under government control or that the broader campaign has achieved its stated goals.[3][4]
Rashad al-Alimi, chair of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, said on Monday that the Fajr al-Yemen operation—translated by the state-run SABA agency as “Dawn of Yemen”—had begun. SABA quoted a post from al-Alimi's X account setting out goals to restore state institutions, retake the capital Sanaa and end Houthi rule. Those are the government's stated aims, not confirmed results.[1]
The named launch follows al-Alimi's Sunday order for the armed forces, security services and other military formations to carry out approved plans. The Monday post supplies a campaign name and declares it under way, but does not set out a deployment timetable, force size or independent evidence of progress toward Sanaa.[5][1]
Yemen's information minister Moammar al-Eryani told Reuters government forces had secured effective control of Bab el-Mandeb, while fighting continued. Reuters said it could not independently verify the extent of the gains. Separately, the Associated Press reported anonymous Yemeni officials' claims that government-aligned forces retook Dhubab, Bab and Hadeid, with witnesses saying they saw forces and tanks enter the towns.[3][2]
Reuters later reported that four government sources said forces reached the outskirts of Mocha and that the Defence Ministry said the port city had fallen. Reuters could not independently verify the extent of the gains and reported that the Houthis called the government's claims baseless. Al Jazeera also described its battlefield reporting as unverified. The conflicting accounts leave the extent and durability of the reported advances unresolved.[3][4]
The Saudi-led coalition said it was providing air support and “air protection” for the strait, but that claim is distinct from verified territorial control. The available reports do not establish that shipping has resumed normally through the area or that the Houthis can no longer threaten vessels from other positions.[2][3]
The front around Taiz remains another source of uncertainty. Reuters reported new Houthi advances near the city based on government military sources, while one government source disputed that a key road had been cut. The reports describe gains claimed on more than one front and do not show that the nationwide objectives announced by al-Alimi have been met.[3][6]