Saudi-backed Yemen forces claim key Red Sea strait secured

Saudi-backed Yemeni military forces have claimed to have “secured” the Bab al-Mandab, a strategic Red Sea waterway, in a major offensive against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, the BBC reported. The military said its forces had secured key positions around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait as part of the offensive aimed at pushing back recent Houthi advances along Yemen’s western coast. The offensive, dubbed Operation Yemen Dawn, was launched with Saudi air support as Yemeni government forces advanced along the Red Sea coast, with the military saying it had retaken key positions near the strategic waterway. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said 100 fighter jets were supporting the operation, while Yemeni forces said they had captured Dhubab airport, a key position south of the port city of Mokha. The Yemeni military also said its forces had recaptured the strategic port city of Mokha, a key position on the Red Sea coast. However, the claim could not be independently verified, with reports indicating that government forces had reached the city's outskirts as Houthi fighters withdrew. The Houthis denied losing control of Bab al-Mandab and Mokha, while claiming to have launched retaliatory strikes on Riyadh airport and other targets in Saudi Arabia following the Saudi-led air strikes. Saudi Arabia condemned the Houthi attacks and called on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to support Yemen's internationally recognised government. Meanwhile, Saudi allies Turkey and Pakistan held an emergency meeting in Riyadh and agreed to rapidly deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned what he called the Houthis' “continued cross-border attacks” on Saudi Arabia, warning that he was “deeply concerned by the sharp escalation in fighting”, AFP reported. The escalation has raised fresh concerns over the security of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's key maritime chokepoints. The waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a crucial route for ships travelling between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal, making the latest fighting a potential threat to global shipping and energy supplies.