Yemeni government forces claim control of Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Houthis

Yemeni government forces have taken control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb area from the Houthis as part of the ongoing military operation, "Dawn of Yemen," the army said Monday.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Majid Abdullah al-Nuzayli said the pro-government Southern Giants Brigades and Nation's Shield forces had "successfully taken control of Bab el-Mandeb."

In a series of statements on US social media platform X, al-Nuzayli said government forces also took control of Dhubab airport and cut the road between Dhubab and Mokha.

He said hundreds of Houthi fighters had been surrounded in the Dhubab area and called on them to surrender, adding that some Houthi fighters later fled by boat via the sea.

Bab el-Mandeb is a strategically important waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea and is a key route for international shipping.