Yemeni Government Fights to Reclaim Red Sea Coast

The Government of Yemen is mobilizing military forces across multiple fronts to counter a sweeping Houthi offensive that seized large portions of the western coast between September 3 and 11. The Houthi movement captured the port city of Mocha, Al-Khawkhah, and Hays, eventually reaching the Bab al-Mandab Strait and seizing Mayun Island. In response, government forces have launched airstrikes against Houthi ballistic missile platforms at Taiz airport and targeted equipment in Dhubab.

Recent clashes have intensified in the northwestern Al-Jawf area, where the Fifth Brigade advanced on the Al-Labanat front to clear a path toward the capital, Al-Hazm. While government troops claimed to liberate Al-Masariya Hill, Houthis maintain control of the higher ground. Simultaneously, government forces repelled a Houthi breakthrough attempt in the Kahbub mountain range of Lahj province, recapturing strategic heights overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait and shooting down a reconnaissance drone.

Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan warned that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is assisting the Houthis in building missile facilities and drone bases to militarize the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, mirroring Iran's maritime control model in the Strait of Hormuz. Haidan cautioned that this foothold could allow Iran to coordinate with groups like al Shabaab in the Horn of Africa. To prevent further infiltration, the government has raised security readiness in Aden and Lahj and established a joint operations room between the defense and interior ministries.