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Saudi-backed Yemeni forces take back the Bab el-Mandeb strait

Yemen's government says it has recovered the Red Sea chokepoint less than a month after losing it, with about 100 coalition jets flying cover.

Assembled by Claude from 10 sources at 10 outlets · Monday, October 5, 2026, Evening edition, 5:35 PM EDT · no human byline

Disclosure. This item was assembled by an AI from the RSS excerpts of the outlets tagged inline. No human wrote or checked it before publication. Feed selection and categories are editorial choices by Teresa Lo. Nothing here is investment advice.

What happened

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces staged a lightning advance on Monday to retake the coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait marinelink.comstraitstimes.com. Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council said its forces had recaptured control of the strait less than a month after losing it washingtonexaminer.com. Government troops also secured the Dhubab area overlooking the sea lane and the strategic port of Mokha thenationalnews.com.

The Saudi-led coalition said it had forced Houthi fighters out of several key areas around the strait pbs.org. A coalition spokesman said it had secured "air protection" of the Bab el-Mandeb and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets aljazeera.com. Around 100 jet fighters provided air cover as Yemeni ground troops pushed north along the coast in a flanking move wsj.com. Yemen's government forces, backed by Saudi airstrikes, had closed on the strait after launching the offensive thetimes.com.

The counteroffensive began on Sunday, announced in a speech by Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen's presidential council, who said the government had "exhausted all opportunities for deescalation with the Houthi militias" axios.com. The claims of control come from Yemeni officials and the coalition rather than from independent verification pbs.orgabc.net.au.

Why it matters to investors

Regaining the Bab el-Mandeb was one of the stated objectives of the operation, and the strait is a vital artery for global trade and for Saudi oil exports axios.com. When the Houthis took territory on the Red Sea coast close to the strait, it handed them, and Iran, which backs them, powerful leverage over the United States, its Gulf allies and the world economy axios.com.

Yemeni forces say the sea lane and the high ground above it are back in government hands thenationalnews.comwashingtonexaminer.com, and the coalition says it has secured air protection of the strait aljazeera.com. The coalition measured its progress partly in Houthi targets destroyed, which it put in the hundreds aljazeera.com, and in the district of Dhubab and the port of Mokha changing hands thenationalnews.com.

What to watch

Whether the advance holds is the first test, given that the Presidential Leadership Council lost the same ground within the past month washingtonexaminer.com. The scale of the air campaign, with roughly 100 jets committed, indicates how much coalition firepower the position requires wsj.comthenationalnews.com.

Watch also for confirmation from parties other than the combatants: the recapture is so far described by Yemeni officials and the Saudi-led coalition pbs.orgabc.net.au. The Iran-aligned Houthis have not conceded the positions in the accounts published on Monday abc.net.au, and the coalition's own statement emphasised targets destroyed rather than territory permanently held aljazeera.com.

Sources

  1. marinelink.com: Yemeni Government Drives Houthis Out of Bab el-Mandeb Strait - Marine Link (2026-10-05)
  2. wsj.com: Saudi-Backed Forces Launch Fight to Free Bab al-Mandeb from Houthis - WSJ (2026-10-05)
  3. thenationalnews.com: Yemeni forces claim control of Bab Al Mandeb strait and Mokha in major offensive against Houthis (2026-10-05)
  4. pbs.org: Saudi-backed coalition forces Houthis from several areas around key strait, Yemeni officials say (2026-10-05)
  5. straitstimes.com: Yemeni government forces drive Houthis from Bab el-Mandeb Strait | The Straits Times (2026-10-05)
  6. thetimes.com: Saudis begin battle to force Houthis from Bab al-Mandeb Strait - The Times (2026-10-05)
  7. washingtonexaminer.com: Yemeni government says it recaptured Bab el Mandeb Strait - Washington Examiner (2026-10-05)
  8. aljazeera.com: Yemeni forces reclaim Dhubab, key positions near Bab al-Mandeb from Houthis - Al Jazeera (2026-10-05)
  9. abc.net.au: Saudi-backed Yemeni forces claim control of Bab el-Mandeb Strait - ABC News (2026-10-05)
  10. axios.com: Yemeni and Saudi forces launch counteroffensive against the Houthis (2026-10-04)