Yemeni government says it recaptured Bab el Mandeb Strait

Forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council said that they took control of the Bab el Mandeb Strait from the Houthis, after a lightning advance backed by Saudi air power.After the Houthis seized the entire Red Sea Coast last month, attention had shifted east to the southwest highlands, with fighting focused around the city of Taiz in recent weeks. On Monday, PLC forces pulled off a lightning advance of their own, breaking through Houthi lines and seizing key positions in the Dhubab district, the narrowest point of the Bab el Mandeb Strait. Numerous videos taken by advancing PLC forces were geolocated at their stated position.Shortly after, the PLC claimed it had taken control of the coastal city of Mocha, the key target of the Houthi offensive last month. While the capture of the city itself was in question by some sources, the road linking the city to Dhubab was mostly taken. AS YEMEN’S CIVIL WAR ENTERS A NEW PHASE, WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE EMBATTLED COUNTRY?The blitz was led by the Southern Giants Brigades, renowned as the best fighting force under PLC control, and the Homeland Shield forces, backed by heavy Saudi air cover.The capture of the strait was first confirmed by PLC Armed Forces spokesman Col. Majed al Nuzaili, who said its forces had “executed a flanking operation to gain control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait.”PLC President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi confirmed the “recapture of strategic areas and sites in Dhubab and Bab el Mandeb, and securing this vital waterway.” In a statement hours prior, he painted the offensive as a decisive push, saying the ultimate objective was the recapture of Sanaa.“With God’s blessing, the ‘Dawn of Yemen’ operation has been launched to restore state institutions, liberate the capital, Sanaa, and end the coup by the terrorist Houthi militias,” he said.“And with God’s help, the will of our people, the valor of our armed forces and all military formations, and the support of our brothers and friends, Yemen will move forward toward a new dawn of freedom, peace, and stability,” Alimi said.The offensive came as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, a push first hinted at over the weekend in a Reuters report, which revealed the PLC and Saudis were planning a counteroffensive to seize control of the coast with over 100,000 troops. However, the offensive was reported as weeks away at the time, rather than a few days.A statement from the PLC Ministry of Defense said that 100 fighter aircraft participated in the dawn assault.The first videos of the assault came from armored vehicles of the Southern Giants Brigades, who filmed themselves running over fleeing Houthi troops. Nuzaili claimed hundreds of Houthi soldiers had been cut off and surrounded. Videos of frightened Houthi troops being captured were also posted on social media.The reported fall of Mocha nearly entirely reverses the remarkable gains the Houthis made last month. The PLC armed forces said the city was taken after “battles that took place in several locations surrounding” the city, involving “various types of weapons, resulting in the killing and wounding of Houthi terrorist militias, the capture of a number of their elements, and the flight of others.”It added that its forces “continue to pursue Houthi elements, and to comb through the sites, neighborhoods, and facilities that have been liberated and secured from any Houthi pockets.”The sudden offensive has already begun affecting other parts of the front — some videos purport to show Houthi forces leaving the front in Taiz to contain the breach.Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the offensive on Monday, saying, “The Yemeni forces are going to try to retake territory that they were ousted from.”HOUTHIS LAUNCH NEW OFFENSIVES INTO STRATEGIC YEMENI HIGHLANDS, THREATENING TO ENDANGER CAPITALThe Houthi forces along the coast collapsed as rapidly as the PLC forces had less than a month before. The terrain is flat with little cover, a far cry from the mountainous labyrinth in which much of the fighting elsewhere in the country takes place, making it much more difficult to defend beyond the initial defensive lines.The PLC offensive is certain to mark a major psychological victory for the government, being the first major victory against the Houthis in years. Fighting since the civil war reignited earlier this year had been marked by disappointments, with some analysts questioning whether or not it could mount an effective assault against the Iran-backed group.