What we know: YAF tightens grip on Bab al-Mandab amid rapid gains

The Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) have advanced rapidly along Yemen’s western coast and taken control of key positions overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The YAF has stormed several Red Sea islands and advanced toward the entrance of the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, several reports said Thursday.

The forces earlier captured the city of Mokha from Saudi-backed forces. Reports said they also reached the Hanish Islands and seized Zuqar Island.

Local sources told Al-Araby TV that Ansarallah-led forces took control of Mayun, a strategic island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The UAE has established military and intelligence sites on Mayun and other Yemeni islands in cooperation with Israel, according to the reports.

Tasnim news agency, citing its correspondent in Sana’a, reported that the Yemeni Armed Forces had taken control of the key al-Ardhi port area on Bab al-Mandab.

The move gives the YAF control of Yemen’s coastline overlooking the strategic waterway and could allow forces fighting Saudi mercenaries to exert greater influence over maritime traffic between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The reported capture of Bab al-Mandab, whose name means the “Gate of Tears,” would give the Sana’a government major leverage over maritime traffic entering and leaving the Red Sea.

“Maritime navigation is safe, and the security of navigation has nothing to do with the skirmishes that were extinguished in the western coast districts,” Deputy Foreign Minister of the Sana’a government Abdul Wahid Abu Ras was quoted as saying by SABA news agency on Thursday.

Top Yemeni negotiator and spokesman Mohammad Abdul Salam also said, “Red Sea navigation is safe” and that “operations will cease when the aggression ends.”

“What the YAF has carried out in certain coastal areas is a national operation within the framework of asserting Yemeni sovereignty and addressing the challenges and ambitions that threaten civil peace,” he added.

Saudi-backed forces suffer losses

The latest advances came after days of intense clashes between the Yemeni Armed Forces and Saudi-backed forces belonging to the Aden-based so-called Presidential Leadership Council.

The YAF has also targeted what remains of Emirati-backed militias in Yemen.

“The western coast fronts have witnessed intense fighting amid movements by Saudi enemy-backed forces, prompting the YAF to target these formations in the area with drones and ballistic missiles,” Al-Masirah TV said Thursday evening.

Yemen’s Supreme Political Council later announced an end to fighting on the western coast and said Saudi-backed troops had been “expelled” from the region.

Meanwhile, Yemeni military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that the country’s air defense units shot down a Saudi-operated Vestel Karayel surveillance drone.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was struck and destroyed with a surface-to-air missile while conducting “hostile operations” over the Hajjah province.

Al-Masirah TV also reported that Yemeni forces stormed PLC prisons on the coast where Yemeni soldiers and resistance fighters were being held.

Abdul Qader al-Murtadha, head of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, said the YAF “succeeded in liberating all army prisoners from Saudi enemy detention facilities on the western coast.”

The latest gains followed a series of advances in western Yemen, including the capture of Hays and al-Khawkhah, the seizure of Yakhtul and the advance toward Mokha port.

Activists have also circulated reports that Saudi-backed forces withdrew from several positions along the western coast, including Khalid Camp at the Al-Mokha junction in western Taiz province.

Mokha port resumes operations

The Sana’a government announced the resumption of operations at the strategic Mokha port hours after its forces took control of the Red Sea port city.

In a joint statement, the ministries of finance, economy and transport said incentives would be offered in the coming days to container ships and cargoes at Red Sea ports, including Mokha.

The measures include reductions of up to 50 percent in vessel and container fees, taxes, customs duties and other charges.

The government said the move is aimed at encouraging shipping companies to use the ports and avoid excessive and illegal costs in areas controlled by Saudi-backed groups. It called on merchants, traders and shipping companies to take advantage of the incentives.

Sana’a pledges security and services

Sana’a government on Thursday congratulated Yemeni leaders and people and YAF fighters and over a “historic victory” following the expulsion of Saudi mercenary forces.

It said measures to restore security and public services began immediately after the withdrawal of the Saudi-backed forces.

The measures include assistance for affected and displaced residents, treatment for the wounded and restoration of water, electricity, healthcare and other essential services.

The government also said its presidential amnesty remained in effect for those who lay down their arms and stopped following the orders of Saudi-backed proxies.

It rejected reports of reprisals and pursuits as “lies and fabrications,” saying such actions had no basis and contradicted Yemen’s values.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of international navigation through Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden. It dismissed Saudi and mercenary claims about maritime security as false propaganda aimed at creating fear and pressuring the international community against Yemen.

A team from the Taiz Governorate Executive Office also visited Mokha on Thursday to assess conditions and work on restoring stability and public services, according to Saba News Agency.

Officials from several sectors joined the visit, which focused on urgent needs, public services and coordination with local authorities. Residents welcomed the move and expressed hope that it would help restore normal conditions.

MBS presses Trump for military action: Report

The developments reportedly prompted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to call Trump twice on Thursday and urge him to launch strikes against the Yemeni Armed Forced, according to two US officials cited by Axios.

Trump declined, while US officials said the administration currently has no plans to intervene directly in Yemen.

Oil prices surged Thursday after the YAF seized the strategic coastal city of Mokha.

The latest escalation follows renewed fighting after years of war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Sana’a has intensified retaliatory operations following Saudi Arabia’s July attack on Sana’a International Airport, which has remained under blockade for more than a decade.

Saudi Arabia launched its war on Yemen in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition. A Saudi-Yemeni peace process in 2023 came close to an agreement but later stalled.

The talks helped prevent a major escalation, while attacks and the blockade of Yemeni ports and airports continued.

Sana’a has since been heavily mobilizing and has vowed to fully expel the Saudi-led coalition from Yemen.

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