Yemeni military forces aligned with the internationally recognized government, supported by Saudi Arabian air power, announced they have captured control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha and secured the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The offensive, dubbed Operation Yemen Dawn, represents a major escalation in the country’s ongoing conflict with Iran-backed Houthi forces.
The military operations commenced on Monday with forces from the National Shield, Giants Brigades, and Tihama Resistance factions moving into Mokha with assistance from Saudi air strikes. Earlier on the same day, pro-government forces reportedly seized Dhubab airport located approximately 27 miles to the south and began besieging Houthi fighters in the nearby town. The Houthis disputed the reports of government advances in the Dhubab area through their media outlets. Regional leadership announced that operations were simultaneously beginning on multiple fronts, including the capital Sanaa, which fell to Houthi control at the beginning of the civil war 12 years ago.
The Saudi-led military coalition provided significant air support, with fighter jets maintaining round-the-clock operations and destroying 324 designated high-value targets since the offensive began. However, civilian casualties resulted from the air campaign, with strikes in Sanaa killing a schoolgirl and a woman according to Houthi-affiliated media. Houthi representatives characterized the military action as a campaign of massacre and warned of consequences for Saudi Arabia. The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre issued a warning that Saudi airspace, excluding areas above the Islamic holy cities, was no longer safe for civilian aviation.
The Houthis responded with their own military actions, launching ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais region. Satellite imagery corroborated claims of strikes on these facilities, showing visible smoke plumes. This escalation follows a breakdown earlier this year of a four-year-old informal ceasefire. The Houthis had announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and initiated attacks on Saudi airports and Red Sea tankers, claiming retaliation for Saudi blockades and airfield strikes.
Yemen’s conflict, which began 12 years ago when Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa, escalated significantly when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore governmental control. Recent casualty figures from the government health ministry indicate at least 959 people killed and 5,000 injured since August. The United Nations reports an additional 197,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. The seizure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait has global economic implications, contributing to increased oil prices as Saudi Arabia depends on Red Sea routes for petroleum exports following disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz.
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