Yemeni Forces Claim Red Sea Gains as Houthis Attack Saudi Targets

Yemen's internationally recognized government launched a full-scale campaign to recapture all Houthi-held territory after weeks of escalating conflict between the Iran-backed group and Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported on October 5.

The immediate backdrop included fighting around Taiz. Deutsche Welle reported that the offensive followed the rebels cutting a key road linking Taiz with Aden. According to Le Monde, the Houthis had encircled Taiz on October 4.

The campaign also targets the Red Sea coast. The New York Times described the offensive as an effort to wrest control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait from the Houthis.

On October 4, Middle East Eye reported a Saudi air strike on a foam factory in Houthi-held Sanaa. Its coverage showed smoke rising as people tried to extinguish a fire inside the factory.

On October 5, the Saudi-led coalition announced it was joining the government offensive, according to Franceinfo. The coalition said it had attacked 324 "high-value targets" in an operation involving 100 fighter jets, Sky News reported.

Government forces then claimed gains near the strait. Adnkronos reported their claim to control Dhubab district and strategic positions overlooking the waterway, with the offensive continuing toward Mokha and Sanaa. The Houthis disputed those gains.

Later coverage on October 5 described a broader coastal advance. France 24 reported the government's account of a rapid push along the coast as far as Mocha. Mint, citing state-run Saba, reported that Yemen's armed forces said they had retaken the city.

The Houthis also claimed attacks inside Saudi Arabia on October 5. According to NDTV, the group said it had struck Riyadh's international airport, an Aramco refinery and sites across the kingdom's south. Arab News reported Saudi Arabia's condemnation of continued attacks on civilians and civilian and economic infrastructure.

On October 6, The Hindu reported that the Yemeni military said it had carried out more than 1,000 strikes and begun an offensive against Sanaa. Separately, Middle East Eye reported the coalition's claim that it had destroyed a depot housing 20 ballistic missiles in northern Yemen.

Control of the strait remains contested in the reporting. Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said government forces had secured effective control, though fighting continued in the area, according to South China Morning Post. The BBC reported that Houthi-run media denied government advances in Dhubab.

Those conflicting accounts persisted on October 6. Le Monde reported that the Houthis denied any retreat from areas they controlled, while the government camp claimed victories on several fronts. Al Jazeera reported continued fighting along the western coast.

The stakes extend beyond territorial control. The Japan Times reported that the advance, if confirmed, would loosen the Houthis' grip on a vital Red Sea oil route. The supplied coverage does not establish the full extent of damage from the claimed attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities.

Confirmation of who holds Dhubab, Mocha and positions around the strait is the clearest outstanding issue. The government's claim of effective control sits alongside continued fighting and Houthi denials, rather than an agreed account of the front line.

The next military test is the push toward Sanaa. Al Jazeera reported that government forces were aiming for the capital but that defeating the Houthis would be a challenge. Further Saudi infrastructure attacks, and evidence of their effects, will also determine whether the escalation spreads beyond Yemen's battlefields.