OMM Redaksiyası
Yemeni government-aligned forces said Wednesday they had taken control of the Kahbub front near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait after clashes with the Houthis.
The Nation’s Shield Forces said on “X” that their troops, alongside the Giants Brigades and Joint Forces, had established full control of the front. The group described the advance as part of the ongoing “Dawn of Yemen” operation.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on the claim.
Kahbub is part of southern Yemen’s Lahj province. Its mountainous terrain overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Fighting between government forces, their allies and the Houthis continued on several fronts on Wednesday, the third day of the operation.
Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced the operation on Monday. He said it aimed to restore state institutions, retake the capital, Sanaa, and end the Houthi takeover.
The offensive comes amid a wider escalation in Yemen that began in July, following a period of relative calm after a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.
Fighting intensified in September, when the Houthis seized strategic positions in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the port city of Mokha, before advancing to Mayyun Island, which overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Yemen has been in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
