SANAA/DUBAI — Yemen’s war has erupted into a dangerous new phase, with clashes between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government troops leaving at least 81 people dead as the Iran-aligned rebels push toward territory overlooking the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to military and medical sources.
The fighting began Thursday after the Houthis launched a ground offensive supported by rocket and drone attacks along Yemen’s western coastal areas, according to reports cited by Agence France-Presse.
The offensive is significant because Bab el-Mandeb is one of the world’s critical maritime chokepoints, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Any sustained disruption there could put additional pressure on international shipping and energy markets already facing instability elsewhere in the region.
Houthis seek higher ground near Bab el-Mandeb
Military sources cited in the reports said the Houthis are attempting to seize elevated positions overlooking government-held territory around the Red Sea coast, including areas near Khokha and Taiz.
The rebels are also seeking to isolate the government-held port city of Mokha, which has come under attack in recent weeks.
According to military officials, control of the surrounding hills would give the Houthis a strategically advantageous position overlooking important coastal routes and potentially allow them to threaten vessels moving through the region.
The Houthis, however, do not currently control territory directly bordering the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, although they hold the major Red Sea port of Hodeida, north of Mokha.
Death toll remains fluid
The initial toll reported Friday was 81 dead.
Military sources said 24 government fighters were killed along the coast, while another 15 government personnel died in fighting around Taiz. Medical sources in Houthi-controlled areas reported at least 42 Houthi fighters killed.
That breakdown produced the 81-death figure cited by AFP, CNA and other outlets.
But the casualty count has continued to change as reports from the battlefield emerge.
A later AFP-based report cited by DW put the overall death toll at about 129, underscoring that the figures remain provisional and difficult to independently verify amid continuing fighting. No definitive casualty total had been publicly released by either side.
Why Bab el-Mandeb matters
The renewed fighting comes as another major Middle Eastern shipping chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, faces severe disruption.
That has made Bab el-Mandeb even more strategically important. The waterway is the southern gateway to the Red Sea, which connects through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean.
The route is critical for commercial shipping and energy transportation between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
With traffic through Hormuz severely restricted, the Red Sea route has taken on added importance for oil shipments and other maritime trade.
Houthi attacks have already disrupted Red Sea shipping
The latest ground offensive is also part of a wider escalation involving the Houthis and regional shipping.
The Iran-aligned movement has attacked commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea since the Gaza war began in 2023, creating a major security challenge for international shipping.
Reuters previously reported that a Houthi attack on a vessel near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait killed four people in August, highlighting the continuing danger to ships using the waterway.
The group has also declared a maritime blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping, according to recent reports.
Government sends reinforcements
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has responded by sending additional forces toward Taiz from Aden, according to a Yemeni official cited by AFP.
The government’s forces have been based primarily in southern Yemen since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
The latest fighting threatens to further undermine an already fragile truce that had reduced the intensity of Yemen’s long-running civil war.
That relative calm broke down in July after regional tensions linked to the wider Iran conflict escalated, according to reporting from AFP and DW.
A wider regional danger
The battle for western Yemen is no longer simply a local struggle for territory.
The possibility of Houthi forces gaining stronger positions near Bab el-Mandeb comes at a particularly sensitive moment for global trade, with shipping already being affected by fighting and restrictions around the Middle East’s major maritime routes.
Recent reporting has also documented attacks and heightened military activity around the Strait of Hormuz, adding to concerns about the vulnerability of global energy supplies and commercial shipping.
For now, the Houthis have not taken control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait itself. But their push toward the high ground overlooking the waterway has raised a more consequential question: how far will the fighting spread—and what happens if the world’s already strained shipping network faces another major chokepoint under threat?
That is why the battle unfolding along Yemen’s western coast is being watched far beyond the country’s borders.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
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