Yemeni government-aligned forces say they took control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Dhubab district, including its airport, on Monday 5 October, according to armed forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Majed al-Nuzaili, quoted by Yemen's state-run Saba news agency. Saba named the Nation's Shield forces and the pro-government Southern Giants Brigades, backed by Saudi-led coalition air cover and Popular Resistance fighters. The Southern Giants Brigades separately announced what they called a "decisive" operation. Saba's account of Houthi fighters killed and vehicles destroyed gives no figures and is unverified.
Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the Associated Press (AP) report a narrower result: government control of Dhubab and positions around the strait, not the strait itself. Clashes continue. The Houthis, the Iran-aligned movement that holds Sanaa, took the Yemeni side of the strait in September, including Perim (Mayun) Island. They still hold the island. On 4 October, Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced "Operation Dawn of Yemen" from Saudi Arabia and said it aims to liberate Sanaa. That is a stated aim, not a result.
Houthi advance on Taiz continues
The Houthis captured the town of Turbah on 4 and 5 October, according to analysts cited by AFP and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Turbah sits on the main road between Taiz and Aden, the interim seat of the internationally recognised government. Farea Al-Muslimi of Chatham House told AFP the Houthis have "achieved the military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden." Fighting in and around Taiz killed more than 70 combatants in a single day, AFP reported: government sources put their own losses at 34, and Houthi sources reported 39 of their fighters killed. These figures are unverified and still moving.
Separately, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed missile and drone strikes on Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and Khurais on 4 October. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki called the claims misleading. Reuters had reported on 2 October that Riyadh was preparing an offensive. September's advance had already left Iran-aligned forces near both Gulf oil chokepoints.
Observers are reading: our assessment of the indicators that would show whether the Dhubab gain can survive pressure on the Taiz front.
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Humanitarian cost of the fighting
The United Nations says the latest violence has killed more than 800 people and wounded over 3,600. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports over 145,000 people displaced inside Yemen and more than 3,000 who crossed into Djibouti. The World Food Programme has warned that roughly three-quarters of Yemen's population cannot meet basic food needs. These figures are still moving. Whether Dhubab proves durable may depend partly on Taiz, analysts such as al-Qadhi suggest.
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