The Ministry of Defense under Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council issued a statement on Monday (October 5, 2026) declaring that government troops, heavily supported by Saudi airstrikes, had routed Iran-aligned Houthi fighters from the coastal chokepoints and reached the outskirts of Mokha, forcing Houthi units to retreat into nearby mountainous terrain. Government forces previously secured critical positions near the entrance of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait—a key global maritime passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden—including an airbase in the Dhubab district. In response, Houthi representatives dismissed the territorial claims as unfounded and launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes targeting high-value Saudi infrastructure, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha International Airport, and a military base in Khamis Mushait. Concurrently, intense fighting was reported near Taiz, where Houthis reportedly blew up a bridge along the Taiz-Aden highway, disrupting a vital transport corridor. The escalation along the Bab-el-Mandeb comes amid heightened global concern over maritime energy routes following the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.