ADEN, YEMEN, 06 Oct. - (ANA) - Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said on October 5 that they had secured effective control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after advancing rapidly along the coast with heavy Saudi air support, though fighting with Iran-backed Houthi forces continued in the area.

 

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani told Reuters that government forces had seized key positions around Dhubab, at the strait's narrowest point, including an airstrip, and had cut off remaining Houthi forces.

 

Another government source said fighting continued at a nearby military base, while the Houthis denied government forces had made gains.

 

Elsewhere, the Houthis reportedly made gains around Taiz, with government military sources saying their advances had effectively encircled the government-held the city, although another government source disputed that a key road had been cut.

 

The Houthis also warned that Saudi airspace "will be the theatre of operations of our armed forces."

 

The Yemeni government launched its counteroffensive with extensive Saudi air support after the Houthis seized stretches of Red Sea coastline in September.

 

The renewed fighting has displaced some 184,000 people and threatens shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, a vital chokepoint linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/06 October 2026 - - -