The military operation “Dawn of Yemen” entered its fifth day on Friday, as government forces completed the clearing of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the strategic Mayyun Island, while consolidating their positions on the highlands overlooking the international shipping route.
The development strengthens government gains along the western coast, even as fighting continues in the southern and western countryside of Taiz, alongside an expanding aerial campaign targeting Houthi militia positions and movements across several parts of the country.
Military sources said that the Giants Brigades and Nation Shield Forces, backed by air support from the coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally-recognized government, had established full control over Bab al-Mandab, the Al-Ardi military camp, coast guard observation posts, Mayyun Island, and the mountain ranges surrounding the strait, including positions overlooking the vital maritime corridor.
According to the sources, government forces carried out a surprise maneuver that bypassed the Houthis’ frontline defenses and reached their newly established trenches and tunnels. The clashes reportedly resulted in dozens of Houthi fighters being killed, while others surrendered.
If the announced control is maintained, securing the strait and Mayyun Island would mark a significant turning point in operations along the western coast, given the area’s strategic location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and its importance to international navigation.
The latest developments follow the government forces’ announcement that they had seized the Kahboub Heights, which overlook vast areas surrounding Bab al-Mandab.
Advance Toward Al-Wazi’iyah
After consolidating their new positions, Yemeni government forces continued operations on the Al-Wazi’iyah front west of Taiz, aiming to secure the district’s eastern highlands and tighten the encirclement of Houthi positions around Dhubab and Al-Omari Camp, paving the way for a broader advance toward Mokha, according to field reports.
The operations were accompanied by airstrikes targeting Houthi military sites and movements in Al-Wazi’iyah, Al-Shamayatayn, and Jabal Habashi, as well as positions in Sharjab, Al-Turbah, and Jabal Qaham, which overlooks the districts of Al-Maqatirah and Al-Ahkoum along the border between Taiz and Lahj.
Field sources reported that Houthi vehicles and reinforcements were targeted in the Al-Haql and Al-Qahaf areas of Jabal Habashi district. Meanwhile, the media center of the government’s Taiz Military Axis stated that one airstrike neutralized or wounded 23 Houthi fighters. Additional strikes hit positions in the Numan Mountains, Al-Saybara, Al-Harthah, and Jardad in Al-Shamayatayn district.
On the other hand, Houthi forces continue to pressure rural areas south and west of Taiz in an effort to retain their positions. Local sources reported that the group had taken control of Al-Mahsha, Al-Adaf, and Al-Armah in Jabal Habashi district on the western front and was advancing toward the Al-Shariq area. A schoolteacher was reportedly killed in Al-Mahsha.
1,729 Military Strikes
In a sign of the widening scope of military operations, Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced on Thursday that 1,729 precision strikes had been carried out against Houthi military targets across various fronts as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen.
Al-Nuzaili said the operations resulted in the neutralization of 1,370 Houthi fighters and the destruction or disabling of 300 military vehicles and pieces of equipment, in addition to strikes against military positions, observation posts, command-and-control centers, weapons depots, supply lines, and reinforcements.
At the same time, airstrikes expanded into eight governorates: Taiz, Ibb, Al-Bayda, Abyan, Saada, Sanaa, Raymah, and Al-Hodeidah, according to local reports. Targets included sites in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, a Houthi camp in Yarim in Ibb, positions in Al-Siyani district, sites in Bani Matar west of Sanaa, locations in Kismah district in Raymah governorate, and positions in the Jamil, Jarjarah, and Al-Nasreen mountain areas of Al-Bayda. Other strikes targeted Tharah Pass and locations in Al-Hodeidah and Saada.
In Lahj, government forces announced that they had repelled a Houthi attack targeting the areas of Al-Aghbarah, Al-Muhawalah, and Al-Mashamirah northwest of Al-Mudarabah district, and had regained positions on Jabal Saif with the support of tribal reinforcements. Meanwhile, clashes, reciprocal shelling, and drone operations continued on the fronts south of Marib and in Al-Jawf, while airstrikes targeted Mas Camp and positions in the Al-Labanat area.
