Houthis Strengthen Control Over Bab al-Mandab as Fighting Spreads

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Bab al-Mandab strait.

Yemeni Houthi forces have strengthened their control over the Bab al-Mandab area after deploying to the strategic Mayun Island, located in the middle of the strait, according to a local government official and eyewitnesses who spoke to AFP.

The government official said boats carrying Houthi fighters arrived on Mayun Island following the withdrawal of government forces from the area the previous day.

Eyewitnesses also told the agency that Houthi fighters were deploying along the Bab al-Mandab coast and patrolling the area in military vehicles.

The official further said the Houthis had taken control of the Yemeni island of Zuqar in the southern Red Sea. According to the official, the offensive began with ballistic missile strikes before ground forces launched an assault using boats carrying fighters.

Separately, Reuters cited government military sources as saying that Houthi forces had reached Zuqar, Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea, off the coast of Eritrea.

However, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait remained “safe”, claiming that his group’s operations were directed at specific targets, according to Houthi-affiliated media.

As fighting continues to expand, government sources said pro-Houthi forces had advanced in several areas along Yemen’s western coast, while reports indicated that government forces had withdrawn from a number of positions.


PUKMEDIA