Yemen regains control of strategic strait
Yemeni government forces have retaken control of the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Yemeni military reports.
News of the recapture follows the launch of a major counter-offensive against the extremist, Iran-backed Houthi movement on Sunday.
According to a Yemeni military spokesperson, their forces have now cut off and secured the road between the town of Dhubab—located by the strait—and the city of Mocha. Hundreds of Houthi fighters have been encircled in the Dhubab district, the spokesperson claimed, according to the news agency EFE.
A "strategic offensive" against the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, was also announced on Monday. The Saudi-led coalition supporting government forces deployed 100 fighter jets for dawn raids against the Houthis on Monday morning, AFP reports.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean; control over this waterway is therefore vital for a large portion of global shipping—particularly given that the Strait of Hormuz was cut off during the Iran-Iraq War.
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