Saudi-Backed Forces Claim the Bab al-Mandab Strait as Fighting Goes On
On Oct. 5, 2026, the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition said the terrorist Houthi militia was eliminated and its threat to freedom of maritime navigation in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab was addressed. The announcement was carried by Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi and Yemeni forces launched an offensive to take the Bab al-Mandab Strait from the Houthis on the same day, The New York Times reported. The strait is a narrow passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a chokepoint where commercial ships must pass. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces seized key positions on the strait on Oct. 5, 2026, Reuters reported, citing military sources.
Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani told Reuters that government forces had secured effective control of the strait on Oct. 5. Fighting did not stop. Clashes with Houthi forces continued around the strait after that claim.
Yemeni government forces reclaimed Dhubab and key positions near Bab al-Mandeb from the Houthis on Oct. 5, 2026, Al Jazeera reported. Hours before the government's military announcement on Oct. 5, Iranian-backed Houthis cut a vital supply route to the besieged city of Taiz, The Guardian reported. The Houthis are an armed group from northern Yemen with backing from Iran.
The Oct. 5 announcements followed fighting in the capital. On Oct. 3, 2026, Yemen's armed forces said it was conducting strikes against the Houthis in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia responded with air strikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to repel the Houthis, Reuters reported.
As of Oct. 2, 2026, Saudi Arabia was planning an offensive against Houthi militants in Yemen, Reuters reported. On Sept. 25, UN Security Council members reiterated condemnation of attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, according to Saudi Press Agency. The Council is the UN body responsible for peace and security.
Older Saudi Press Agency material gives background to the Coalition's wording. The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen stated that Houthi statements against the Kingdom attempt to mask facts. The agency published a statement titled 'We Will Protect Our Commercial Vessels in Bab Al-Mandab' concerning the strait. It also reported detection of ballistic missile firing sites (places set up to launch long-range guided missiles) by Iranian-backed Al-Houthi militia threatening international shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab strait.
The broader context here is competing descriptions of the same battlespace. The Coalition communique presents the maritime threat as addressed. Government officials describe effective control of the strait and the recapture of Dhubab. Those claims sit alongside continued fighting around the strait and the Houthi action on the Taiz supply route. For close followers, the difference between holding ground and keeping ships safe in transit is central.
Looking at what this could mean for free navigation and commercial shipping, the test will be sustained passage through the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab rather than statements of control. Dhubab, the approaches to the strait, the Taiz corridor, and Sanaa are separate pressure points. Each can move independently. Diplomats will weigh the Coalition announcement and the territorial claims against the Security Council's condemnation, while military assessments will focus on whether launch capabilities and risks to ships persist despite the declared elimination.
