The Yemeni Armed Forces have made rapid advances along Yemen’s western coastline, capturing key positions overlooking the strategic Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, according to reports on Thursday.
The Ansarallah-led revolutionary forces have reportedly seized several Red Sea islands and advanced toward the entrance of the vital waterway. They previously captured the coastal city of Mokha from Saudi-backed forces and have since reportedly reached the Hanish Islands and taken control of Zuqar Island.
Local sources cited by Al-Araby TV said Yemeni Armed Forces also took control of Mayun, a strategically located island in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait. The UAE has established military and intelligence facilities on Mayun and other Yemeni islands in cooperation with ‘Israel,’ according to reports.
Tasnim news agency, citing its correspondent in Sana’a, separately reported that the Yemeni Armed Forces had seized the strategic Al-Ardhi port area overlooking Bab Al-Mandeb.
❗️Bab el-Mandeb Strait OFFICIALLY under Houthi control — Ansar Allah senior official Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti CONFIRMS EXCLUSIVELY TO RT
— RT (@RT_com) September 10, 2026
‘We have taken control of Bab el-Mandeb’ https://t.co/tM7BrVhhJK pic.twitter.com/arq1JLsnuV
The reported advances would give the Yemeni Armed Forces control over a significant stretch of Yemen’s coastline overlooking the strategic waterway, potentially strengthening the position of forces fighting Saudi-backed mercenaries and increasing their ability to influence maritime traffic between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Control of Bab Al-Mandeb, whose name means “Gate of Tears”, would provide the Sana’a government with significant leverage over shipping 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.
Yemen’s Mocha port's position on the Red Sea gives control over access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait — a vital gateway for global oil, gas and food shipments. pic.twitter.com/ZixdF3lBzA
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 10, 2026
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.
Source: Al-Manar English Website