Aden (South24 Center)

Fighting around the Bab al-Mandab Strait in southwestern Yemen has become a military and political test of the Southern Armed Forces’ role in the confrontation with the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, as Southern forces make advances in Dhubab and areas surrounding the strait.

Southern Transitional Council President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi said on Friday (October 9) that Southern Armed Forces personnel killed in the fighting had fulfilled their national duty in a battle he described as defending the South’s borders. He made the remarks in a condolence message for Colonel Muadh Ali Saleh, commander of the 16th Giants Brigade, and other fighters killed in clashes with the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab.

In a later statement, Al-Zubaidi said the “only price” for the blood of the Southern forces’ fallen was the establishment of an independent South Yemen within its internationally recognized borders. He added that Southerners would not accept “under any circumstances” the appropriation of their forces’ victories under slogans that did not represent them.

Al-Zubaidi’s remarks linked the battlefield gains near Bab al-Mandab to the Southern cause, as Yemeni government figures describe the military campaign as part of the Saudi-backed “Dawn of Yemen” operation against the Houthis.

Abdulrahman Al-Muharrami, commander of the Southern Giants forces and a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said on Saturday (October 10) that the Southern Armed Forces had “crushed the Houthi militia’s illusions.” He was referring to the fighting in Bab al-Mandab and Dhubab, where the Southern Giants and other Southern forces have made significant gains in recent days.

Field sources told South24 Center on Friday that Southern forces had made substantial advances near Bab al-Mandab with air support, while continuing to pursue Houthi fighters in the area.

The sources said clashes were still under way near Mayun Island and its surroundings despite the Southern advance. Their account came amid repeated reports that Southern forces had taken the island and the nearby Al-Ardi military camp.

Military sources told South24 Center that Southern forces were positioned in the area around Dhubab military airport, while the Houthis remained present in other areas.

In a post on X, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber said Bab al-Mandab had been “cleared” of the Houthis. However, Houthi fighters remained entrenched in Dhubab village and on Mayun Island, according to a military source who spoke to South24 Center.

The source said Southern forces had surrounded the Houthi groups and were advancing slowly because of landmines, heat-seeking missiles and one-way attack drones that the Houthis were using to hold their positions.

The Southern Giants said on Saturday that they had repelled a Houthi attack north of Dhubab military airport, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment. The clashes coincided with Saudi airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements north of the airport.

The main Houthi force is concentrated in Al-Mokha, which the group seized on September 10 after government-aligned forces fled.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Friday (October 9) that the Yemeni government had reported retaking areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

In the same briefing, Grundberg warned that Yemen had once again slid into full-scale war and urged the Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi airports. He said military pressure could strengthen political leverage but stressed the need to resume the political process.

The fighting around Bab al-Mandab is part of a broader escalation that has included Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and infrastructure, as well as Saudi airstrikes on Houthi positions in several Yemeni governorates, including Sanaa, Taiz, Saada and Hodeidah.