Yemeni forces press advance near Bab el-Mandeb as Saudi coalition steps up strikes

Government forces claim gains around the strait while coalition jets hit Houthi positions, extending a pattern oil markets have largely shrugged off

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces say they have taken key positions around Bab el-Mandeb, including the Dhubab airport area, after launching an offensive against Houthi fighters on Sunday, The National reports. Yemen's Information Minister, Moammar al-Eryani, told Reuters that government forces now hold effective control of the strait, though fighting with Houthi units continues nearby, according to the Detroit News.

The Saudi-led coalition has deployed 100 fighter jets in round-the-clock support of the offensive and says it has destroyed 324 "high-value" Houthi targets, The National reports. One government source told the Detroit News that forces had seized the Dhubab airstrip and cut off remaining Houthi fighters, while another said combat continued at a nearby military base.

The push follows a string of intercepted Houthi missile and drone attacks on Khamis Mushait. The Saudi-led coalition shot down three missiles aimed at the city on Friday, with fragments causing limited damage and no casualties. A day earlier, it intercepted a ballistic missile and drones over the same area, though debris from one missile damaged buildings and vehicles.

That run of intercepts, along with last month's seizures near Mokha and Perim Island, has already been absorbed by energy markets without lasting disruption to Saudi exports. With government forces now advancing on the ground and coalition aircraft striking Houthi positions daily, the pattern so far points to containment rather than a fresh threat to shipping or oil supply through the strait.