Yemeni government forces say they seize Kahbub front near Bab al-Mandeb

Yemeni government forces said Wednesday that they took full control of the Kahbub front in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb area in western Yemen following clashes with the Houthis.

The government-aligned Nation’s Shield Forces said on the US social media platform X that their troops, alongside the Giants Brigades and Joint Forces, established “full control” over the Kahbub front.

It said the advance was part of the ongoing “Dawn of Yemen” operation.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the claim.

Kahbub, administratively part of the southern Lahj province, is strategically important because its mountainous terrain overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Fighting between Yemeni government forces and their allies and the Houthis continued on several fronts Wednesday, the third day of the “Dawn of Yemen” operation.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the launch of the operation Monday, saying it aimed to restore state institutions, retake the capital Sanaa and end the Houthi takeover.

The latest offensive comes amid a broader escalation in Yemen that began in July after a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce that took effect in April 2022.

Fighting intensified in September, when the Houthis seized strategic positions in the provinces of Al-Hudaydah and Taiz, including the port city of Mokha, before advancing to Mayyun Island overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.