Yemeni government’s military says its forces advancing against Houthis

What the report says

Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its Saudi-backed forces are making gains against the Houthis in fighting around the country’s southwest, including areas near the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb strait. In the report published by Al Jazeera on 10 Oct. 2026, military spokesman Col. Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said the army carried out nearly 2,000 targeted operations in the previous 24 hours under an offensive it calls “Dawn of Yemen.” He said those strikes killed at least 1,150 Houthi fighters, destroyed ammunition depots, and hit dozens of combat, transport and supply vehicles. Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify the figures.

The fighting was described as centering on strategic locations near Mocha and Dhubab, two southern coastal cities that are important for access to the Bab al-Mandeb shipping lane. The article said government forces are seeking to retake territory the Houthis seized in September, which has given the group influence over a key passage for global trade into and out of the Red Sea. The Houthis have held Sanaa and much of northwestern Yemen since 2014.

The piece also placed the clashes in a wider regional context. Al Jazeera reported a recent attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and said the Houthis have warned aviation companies to avoid Saudi airspace. It also noted concerns among analysts that the conflict could broaden if outside actors become involved, though those comments were presented as expert analysis rather than confirmed developments.