Forces aligned with the Yemeni government, operating under a coalition that includes Saudi Arabia, have reported gaining control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait as part of a broader military push against the Houthi movement, which receives backing from Iran.

A military spokesman reported that units from the Giants Brigades and National Shield had closed off a group of Houthi combatants in Dhubab — a Red Sea coastal town — after taking control of its airport and cutting the road linking the area to the port city of Mokha. Media aligned with the Houthi administration issued statements contesting reports of territorial gains by opposing forces in the Dhubab area.

Fighting had extended across several new fronts, a government statement indicated, with Sanaa among the locations named — the capital city that Houthi forces took hold of at the outset of the conflict, now roughly twelve years in the past. The coalition of Gulf-led forces reported that air strikes backing the ground push had taken out more than 300 locations it described as priority targets.

On Sunday, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council — the internationally recognised governing body — announced that forces had begun moving to retake territory held by the Houthis, stating that all avenues toward de-escalation had been exhausted. Rashad al-Alimi directed all armed forces, security formations, and military units to proceed with their assigned operational duties in line with approved plans, with the stated aim of restoring the country from Houthi control.

The notice followed reports that a mountain road near Taiz, a south-western city, had been blocked by Houthi forces, leaving both troops loyal to the government and local residents in the area cut off from outside access.

The Houthi group claimed responsibility for launching ballistic missiles and drone strikes at Saudi Aramco infrastructure across both Riyadh and the Khurais area, characterising the operation as a retaliatory measure against what it said were dozens of aerial bombardments carried out on its own territory.

Fighting that began when Houthi forces took hold of Sanaa in 2014 has since fractured Yemen along multiple fault lines, sustaining a prolonged internal armed conflict that continues to reshape the country. Hostilities deepened from 2015 onward, when a coalition of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia stepped in militarily to reinstate governmental authority.

Hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia resumed in July, when the group declared a blockade on Saudi maritime traffic and launched a series of missile and drone strikes targeting airports, oil infrastructure, and vessels operating in the Red Sea — bringing a four-year period of relative calm to an end. Houthi officials described their actions as a response to what they characterised as a blockade imposed on ports and airports under their control, along with an air strike on Sanaa airport that they attributed to Saudi Arabia.

Houthi forces moved through Yemen's south-western Red Sea coastline in the preceding weeks, displacing pro-government troops from positions that command the Bab al-Mandab Strait — among them the towns of Dhubab and Mokha, along with Perim Island, also known as Mayyun. A statement from the group drew a distinction between commercial vessels transiting the waterway and ships linked to Saudi Arabia, with the latter remaining subject to attack while the former were said to face no interference.

Health ministry data covering the period from 6 August onward put the death toll at a minimum of 959, with a further 5,000 people reported to have sustained injuries amid the ongoing hostilities in Yemen. According to UN figures, a further 197,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.