ADEN — Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of Aden, the main stronghold and temporary capital of the country's internationally recognised government, four military sources told Reuters on Monday. The advance brings the Houthis closer to Aden than at any point since the early months of the war in 2015, when they briefly entered the city before being driven out.
Source: Reuters
Fighting between the Houthis and government forces was underway on Monday at a military camp at the entrance to Tur al-Bahah district, one of the main approaches to Aden, the sources said. The camp is about 50 km from Lahj, the provincial capital, and 80 km from Aden itself. The Houthis launched their assault on government positions in Al-Maqatirah three days ago and have since taken the whole district, forcing government troops to retreat toward Tur al-Bahah.
Source: Reuters
Houthi official Hamid Rizq posted a video of what he said were the group's fighters entering Souq al-Rabouh in Maqatirah district; Reuters said it could not immediately verify the footage. Yemen's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Jerusalem Post, reporting the same advance, described the offensive as opening a new front in the wider US-Israeli war with Iran.
Source: The Jerusalem Post via JFeed
Aden–Taiz road and Bab el-Mandeb under threat
The Houthi push threatens strategic positions along the main road linking Aden with the besieged city of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city and a vital artery for the southwest. Taiz has been encircled since early October, when the Houthis cut its main road south to Aden. The advance follows a broader offensive that began in September, when the Houthis swept down Yemen's Red Sea coast and seized territory along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — one of the world's most important shipping lanes and a key route for Saudi oil exports to Asia — giving them a chance to outflank government forces along the mountain range overlooking the strait, the military sources said.
Source: Reuters
The latest offensive has opened a volatile new front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran, drawing both the Houthis and Saudi Arabia deeper into the regional conflict, Reuters reported. The Houthis have escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's government, while the Saudi-led coalition has responded by stepping up strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. Houthi attacks on Aden have also intensified in recent weeks: the group struck Aden airport last Wednesday after warning people to evacuate, and the presidential palace was hit in October.
Source: Reuters
The violence has further shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce that had largely halted major attacks in a war that began in 2014, when the Houthis drove the government from the capital Sanaa. Aden has served as the government's temporary capital since 2015.
Source: Reuters
The ground the Houthis are taking overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden through which a large share of Asia-bound oil and container trade passes. A Houthi position within striking distance of Aden — alongside the fight over the Strait of Hormuz — keeps two of the world's most sensitive energy corridors under pressure at the same time, with direct consequences for fuel prices, shipping and the lakhs of Indian and Punjabi workers across the Gulf.