Yemen’s internationally recognized government says its Saudi-backed forces have reversed a Houthi advance near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but the claimed breakthrough comes amid an escalating counteroffensive and continued rebel gains elsewhere.

Government Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said forces advancing with Saudi air support had seized key positions around Dhubab, including an airstrip, and had cut off Houthi fighters in the area. The government described the operation as a rapid recovery of territory and said fighting was still underway. The strait is a major global shipping chokepoint, carrying about 12 percent of the world’s goods. ¹

A broader account from officials and witnesses said Saudi-backed forces had also entered Bab and Hadeid, with tanks seen moving into the towns. The Saudi-led coalition said roughly 100 fighter jets were supporting the offensive, providing “air protection” for the waterway and striking hundreds of Houthi targets. ²

The two perspectives converge on the scale and strategic importance of the operation, but differ in emphasis. The government’s account presents the advance as a restoration of control over the strait; the wider reporting frames it as one front in a fluid war, launched after the Houthis captured the key town of Turbah and threatened the route linking Taiz with Aden.

That context complicates the victory claim. Taiz remains under government control but is besieged, while fighting around the city reportedly killed more than 70 people in a single day. The Houthis also claimed missile and drone attacks on Saudi energy sites, portraying the offensive as part of a wider cycle of retaliation. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm those attacks. ²

For now, the offensive may have restored government positions near Bab el-Mandeb, but it has not resolved the larger contest. The same battle that promises to reopen a vital shipping corridor also exposes the government’s persistent inability to convert localized gains into a durable reversal of Houthi momentum.