A source in the Yemeni presidency told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Southern Armed Forces' redeployment around Bab Al-Mandab and Dhubab was a calculated military move aimed at achieving three main objectives: protecting Aden, reinforcing the fronts in Lahj and creating the conditions to break the siege of Taiz and liberate the province.
Jaber Mohammed, a media adviser to the Yemeni presidency and former director of the office of Abu Zara'a Al-Muharrami, explained that the redeployment from the vicinity of Bab Al-Mandab and Dhubab should not be interpreted as a withdrawal in the military sense, but rather as a move to redistribute troops and reinforce positions with greater influence over the course of the fighting.
He described the redeployment as a calculated military move intended to protect Aden, strengthen the fronts in Lahj and create the conditions for lifting the siege of Taiz.
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Col. Majed Abdullah Al-Nazili said the Southern Forces' commitment to breaking the siege of Taiz represented a national stance at a particularly sensitive stage, stressing that protecting the capital, Aden, and lifting the siege of Taiz were national and moral responsibilities aimed at confronting the threat posed by Houthi militia violations.
According to observers, Aden and its neighboring provinces constitute a strategic hinterland and a major political, economic and population center. Reinforcing defensive lines around the city is therefore closely linked to protecting state institutions and preventing the fighting from spreading toward the capital.
Jaber noted that deploying troops along the exposed coastal strip made them more vulnerable to attack, while the greatest danger lay in the mountainous heights overlooking Bab Al-Mandab, Dhubab and Mayyun Island.
Control of those heights, he explained, would allow the occupying force to threaten the coastline and outflank troops stationed along it.
He added that the Southern Forces had repositioned themselves in the Al-Suqyah area, approximately six to eight kilometers from Bab Al-Mandab, keeping them within the operational area of the front.
A Southern military commander warned that losing the heights overlooking the coast could open the way for an advance toward Lahj and Aden, particularly given the proximity of Ras Al-Arah and Al-Mudaribah to the Al-Buraiqah district of Aden.
He said securing the elevated positions would help protect the coastal strip and allow troops to operate in more militarily advantageous terrain, reducing the strain of maintaining exposed positions.
In a statement, the Southern Armed Forces said the redeployment was a response to changing battlefield priorities and did not represent an abandonment of the fight against the Houthis or efforts to lift the siege of Taiz.
The statement emphasized that protecting Aden, its institutions and its residents remained a priority, alongside reinforcing the front lines and confronting existing threats.
The forces reaffirmed their commitment to continuing operations with the support of the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen until state institutions were restored and enabled to carry out their responsibilities.
The presidential media adviser said that since the launch of Operation Fajr Yemen on October 5, Southern Forces had advanced toward Dhubab Airport and parts of Bab Al-Mandab and Kahbub.
He noted that Al-Wazi'iyah and the highlands overlooking the coast remained strategically important, adding that, in his assessment, the Kahbub mountains were still under the control of forces affiliated with the Yemeni government.
Jaber Mohammed said assessing the terrain, troop positions, the enemy's weapons and methods of attack was essential to operational planning.
He added that expanding the fighting across multiple fronts could disperse Houthi forces and ease pressure on individual battlefronts.
Meanwhile, Yemeni military sources stressed that Aden's security was nonnegotiable and that any threat to the temporary capital would be met with a firm response.
They said the developments involved more than the redeployment of military units, describing them as part of efforts to prevent new realities from being imposed by force and to safeguard state institutions and national resources.
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Al-Nazili had previously emphasized that liberating Bab Al-Mandab and the western coast was an inherent right of the armed forces.
He called on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities by contributing to the liberation efforts, given the strait's vital importance to maritime security and international trade.
Al-Nazili said the armed forces remained united in carrying out their duties to protect the Yemeni people and their resources and confront threats from the Houthi militia.
He reaffirmed that Operation Fajr Yemen would continue pursuing its stated objectives until the threat posed by the Houthis was eliminated.
