Yemeni government forces advance on Bab el-Mandeb Strait
USO•Yemeni government forces seized key positions and took large parts of Dhubab district overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with Saudi-led coalition air support. Fighting has also threatened the oil export route and pushed up global prices.
1. Advance near the strait
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces seized key positions on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday and took large parts of Dhubab district, military and government sources said. The forces were asserting full control over the area with heavy air support from a Saudi-led coalition; Houthi-aligned media denied that government forces had advanced.
2. Fighting near Taiz
The Houthis advanced onto sections of the mountain road to Taiz late Sunday, besieging government forces there, according to five government sources; another government source denied the road had been cut. Sources also reported Houthi advances into al-Turbah, though another source disputed that account.
3. Energy route at risk
The fighting has threatened the Bab el-Mandeb, described in the article as a vital oil export route, while Gulf energy exports are already restricted by Iran's closure of the Hormuz Strait. Saudi Arabia said Monday it had attacked hundreds of targets in Yemen to provide air cover for the strait and Yemeni ground forces.
