Yemen's West Coast Fighting Escalates Near Bab al-Mandab Strait
Clashes between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government troops intensify along Yemen's Red Sea coast, with hundreds of casualties reported near the Bab al-Mandab strait.
Fighting along Yemen's western coast has intensified sharply in recent weeks, with Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government troops trading blows near the Bab al-Mandab strait, the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and a vital corridor for shipping between Asia and Europe.
The Saudi-backed National Resistance Forces, which align with the Yemeni government, said they lost approximately 500 fighters between August 9 and September 10, with nearly 1,500 others wounded in the same period.
The group's commander has announced the creation of the Tihama Resistance Force, describing it as an independent unit operating under the Joint Operations Command of the Saudi-led coalition. According to the commander, its objective is to recapture coastal territory that forces opposing the Houthis have lost.
Military analysts suggest the reorganisation could signal a new phase of combat along the western coastline, potentially turning the area into a drawn-out war of attrition.
"I believe that the remaining battles inside Yemen, no matter how much Saudi Arabia mobilizes, supports, or deploys forces that it considers support for the Yemeni government, are, from my military assessment, fronts that are not influential nor effective. Yet, clashes may continue there, and there may be a war of attrition," said Abdulghani Al-Zubaidi, a military analyst based in Sanaa.
On the ground, fighting was reported in Dhubab, close to Bab al-Mandab, between government forces and the Houthis. The Houthis said Saudi aircraft conducted dozens of airstrikes across several provinces. Government sources said five of those strikes were directed at the Bab al-Mandab area alone.
Separately, the Yemeni government said it has conveyed to UN envoy Hans Grundberg that it remains prepared for peace and emphasised that navigation through Bab al-Mandab is safe. The United Nations says it is continuing efforts to lower tensions and draw the parties back into the political process.