Yemeni govt forces recapture Red Sea port of Mokha, Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Houthis

Saudi-led coalition says 100 fighter jets participated in the 'Dawn of Yemen' military operation against Houthis

Yemeni pro-government forces recaptured Mokha, a Red Sea port city in western Taiz province in southwestern Yemen, from the Houthi group on Monday after “fierce fighting,” Yemen’s state news agency SABA reported.

The Nation’s Shield Forces, Giants Brigades and Tihama Resistance, backed by the Popular Resistance, took control of the city with air support, a military source told the agency.

The Houthis had controlled Mokha since early September, the source said.

Fighting at several positions surrounding the city involved various types of weapons and left Houthi fighters dead and wounded, according to the source.

🔴 Yemen’s armed forces say the Giants Brigades, the National Shield forces and the Tihama Brigades recaptured the port city of Mokha after violent clashes with the Houthis

🔴 The armed forces are pursuing Houthi elements in Mokha and are combing the city and securing it pic.twitter.com/cuuMrxWlDh

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) October 5, 2026

Several Houthi fighters were captured, while others fled, the source added, without providing casualty or prisoner figures.

Yemen's army said earlier on Monday that government forces had taken control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb area from the Houthis as part of the ongoing military operation, “Dawn of Yemen”.

Military spokesman Lt Col Majid Abdullah al-Nuzayli said the pro-government Southern Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield forces had “successfully taken control of Bab el-Mandeb.”

In a series of statements on X, al-Nuzayli said government forces also took control of Dhubab airport and cut the road between Dhubab and Mokha.

NEW: Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces say they have seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.pic.twitter.com/RsOJL1up7t

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 5, 2026

He said hundreds of Houthi fighters had been surrounded in the Dhubab area and called on them to surrender, adding that some Houthi fighters later fled by boat via the sea.

Earlier in the day, Yemen's armed forces said they had begun a "strategic offensive" in Yemen's capital Sanaa.

The Houthis have held the capital and vast parts of the northwest, where most of the population lives.

The Yemeni army said earlier that government forces had seized the Dhubab district and strategic positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait following clashes with the Houthis.

Yemen’s official Saba news agency said forces from the Nation’s Shield and the pro-government Southern Giants Brigades, backed by the Popular Resistance, took control of Dhubab in western Taiz province.

A military source told Saba that the forces launched a large-scale operation with air support targeting Houthi positions and forces across several areas of the district.

The forces advanced and took control of key positions while cutting supply lines and routes leading to Bab el-Mandeb, the source said.

The source said an unspecified number of Houthi fighters were killed or injured in the clashes, while several military vehicles and equipment were destroyed or damaged.

The Southern Giants Brigades separately announced the launch of what they called a “decisive” military operation against the Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb area.

Saudi-led coalition says 100 fighter jets involved in Yemen operation against Houthis

The Saudi-led coalition said Monday that 100 fighter jets had participated in the ongoing “Dawn of Yemen” military operation against the Houthis.

The coalition said 324 “high-value targets” had been destroyed since the operation began.

In separate statements, it said it was providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni government forces on the ground and air protection for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, adding that operations against moving targets were continuing.

Yemeni army says 1,747 Houthis ‘neutralised’ in over 1,100 military operations

The Yemeni army said that its forces had “neutralised” 1,747 Houthi members in 1,122 military operations across several fronts in the country.

Military spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said in a statement on US social media platform X that the operations targeted artillery and rocket-launcher positions, defensive fortifications, approach and advance routes, supply lines and means, reinforcements and military buildups, as well as command structures and command-and-control centres belonging to the Houthis.

He said the operations were conducted in Saada, Al-Jawf and Taiz provinces, as well as along Yemen’s western coast.

According to al-Nuzaili, the operations involved warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles, rocket launchers, and snipers.

Read: Houthis claim missile and drone attacks on Saudi Aramco after 50 strikes on Yemen

He said the operations also destroyed or disabled 364 military vehicles and transport and supply assets.

Al-Nuzaili added that government forces would continue their operations to retake state territory and institutions and extend national sovereignty.

Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi on Sunday announced the launch of comprehensive military operations against the Houthis, saying the armed forces, security forces and other military formations had been ordered to retake the territory held by the group.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.

Fighting has intensified since July, with a major escalation in September that saw the Houthis take control of the strategic city of Mokha, and advance to Mayyun Island overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The group has also targeted Saudi Arabia, including energy sites.

Saudi-led coalition pledges continued support for Yemeni government against Houthis

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen pledged on Sunday to continue supporting the Yemeni government and armed forces in efforts to restore state institutions and end the Houthi takeover.

In a statement, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki described Houthi attacks against Yemenis as "flagrant violations that have brought calamity and suffering to the Yemeni people for many years."

He accused the group of imposing internal blockades, forcibly displacing residents, looting resources and diverting them toward the "war effort."

Al-Maliki also accused the Houthis of recruiting children and damaging Yemen's “social fabric.

He said Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including attempts to target Mecca and Medina, warranted continued measures to deter the group.

Al-Maliki also cited attacks on Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif and Yanbu.

He cited attempts to target Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, describing them as a "threat to regional and international security, freedom of navigation and international trade."

Al-Maliki affirmed Saudi Arabia's "inherent right" to defend its sovereignty, protect its security and take operational measures to deter the Houthis and halt their violations.

Saudi Arabia and the coalition would continue to stand alongside Yemen until state institutions are restored, he said.

He added that the coalition would also continue its support until the Houthi threat to maritime navigation in the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb is ended.

Earlier Sunday, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced comprehensive military operations against the Houthis to reclaim the remaining territory under their control.

The Yemeni army also announced the launch of what it called the "battle of liberation" to restore state institutions and end the Houthi takeover.