Yemen's internationally recognised government has completely lost control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Dhubab district, APA reports, citing Al Jazeera.
According to a statement from Yemen's Southern Forces Command, the withdrawal of troops was carried out as part of a reorganisation of forces and efforts to strengthen their presence in other areas.
The command said the main objective of the manoeuvre was to ensure the security of Aden and neighbouring provinces, as well as to continue operations aimed at breaking the siege of Taiz.
The withdrawal of Yemeni army forces from their positions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Dhubab district comes at a time when the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) has not been advancing in Lahj province, considered the northern and western gateway to Aden.
Armed conflict between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has continued in Yemen since August 2014.
In July 2026, the rebels announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and subsequently attacked several Saudi oil tankers.
In early August, the Ansar Allah movement launched an offensive in southwestern Yemen. On September 10–11, the Houthis seized control of the port city of Mokha and areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
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The Yemeni army has called on the international community to help liberate the Bab al-Mandab Strait from the Houthis, APA reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Colonel Majid al-Nuzayli, spokesperson for the armed forces under Yemen's internationally recognised government, emphasised the strategic importance of the Bab al-Mandab Strait for international shipping and trade.
Al-Nuzayli stated that liberating the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the western coast is an inalienable right of the Yemeni Armed Forces.
He praised the role of southern forces in protecting the temporary capital, Aden, and other southern governorates, as well as their efforts to break the siege of Taiz.
According to Al-Nuzayli, efforts to lift the Houthi siege of Taiz constitute a "national duty" at a critical time.
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