New Delhi: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber, on Friday claimed that the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait had been cleared of Houthi fighters, without providing details of the military operation or the extent of the group’s withdrawal. The statement comes amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, following a reported missile attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday.
“Blessed Friday, and victory for every Yemeni and Arab. Bab al-Mandab has been cleared of the remnants of the Houthi terrorist militia,” Al Jaber said in a post on X. The Houthis have not immediately commented on the ambassador’s statement, and no further details confirming the claim were provided in his post.
The latest development follows the launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen by government-aligned forces to regain territory captured by the Houthis. In September, the group seized key areas in Hudaydah and Taiz provinces and advanced to Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, which lies within the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The island occupies a strategic position along one of the world’s busiest maritime trade corridors, connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The Houthis’ advance towards the strait raised concerns about their ability to threaten commercial shipping and disrupt vessels travelling between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal, potentially forcing ships to take longer routes around southern Africa.
The Saudi-led coalition has continued supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis, who seized the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces in 2014. Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in March 2015, and although fighting eased after a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022, clashes have intensified again in recent months.
The ambassador’s statement comes a day after the Houthis announced attacks targeting Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said on Friday that two attacks on the airport on Thursday killed three Saudi nationals and injured several others.
The attacks drew condemnation from India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, France and Singapore, with the countries expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia and denouncing the targeting of civilian infrastructure. India said such attacks were “completely unacceptable”, while the Pakistan prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, called for the Houthis to immediately cease their attacks and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
The UAE condemned the strikes as a violation of Saudi sovereignty, while Singapore said attacks that killed and injured civilians were “unacceptable and cannot be justified”.