Afət Ziyadqızı
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, has said the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait has been completely cleared of Houthi forces.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the diplomat wrote in a post on his X account: “The Bab el-Mandeb Strait has been freed of the remnants of the Houthi terrorist militia.”
The ambassador did not provide further details about the operation, and the Houthi movement has not yet issued an official response to the statement.
Yemen’s armed conflict began in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces. In March 2015, a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened militarily in the country in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The military escalation that began in July this year has led to the fiercest fighting in Yemen since a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations in 2022. As clashes intensified in September, the Houthis seized several key population centers in the provinces of Hudaydah and Taiz and advanced as far as Mayyun Island, which lies in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Yemeni government forces launched a large-scale military operation, “Dawn of Yemen,” this week to retake Houthi-held areas and restore strategic logistical routes.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a key route for maritime trade between Europe and Asia. Its location makes control of the passage strategically significant for the parties to the conflict in Yemen.
