81 dead in Yemen clashes as Houthis push towards key strait: sources

81 dead in Yemen clashes as Houthis push towards key strait: sources.

Key points

• The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea – and, via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean – to the Indian Ocean.
• While another in the Taiz area stated 15 had died there, a military official on the coast remarked 24 of his men had been killed.
• Although the Houthis do not control areas bordering Bab al-Mandeb, they hold the key port city of Hodeida north of Mokha.
• With Iran's closure of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint has gained rose importance as a transit route for oil from Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter of crude.
• The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi ships in recent weeks in the Red Sea.

81 dead in Yemen clashes as Houthis push towards key strait: sources. AFP Published September 4, 2026 Updated September 4, 2026 03: 45pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

As the rebels push towards territory bordering a chokepoint in the strategic Red Sea, clashes between Yemen's Houthis and administration forces have killed 81, military and medical sources stated on Friday.

After the Houthis introduced a ground assault along with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas, vying for control of the narrow Bab al-Mandeb strait at the Red Sea's southern entrance, fighting erupted on Thursday.

In practice, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi ships in recent weeks in the Red Sea. It has emerged as an alternative route for oil exports after Iran all but halted shipments from the Gulf by blockading the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the rebels are now trying to cement their hold over one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. It they have disrupted with attacks on passing vessels since the Gaza war broke out in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Houthi offensive intends to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha, under fire for weeks, and advance towards areas bordering the Bab al-Mandeb, military sources informed AFP.

Meanwhile, the rebels have seized elevated sites overlooking administration positions near the Red Sea, the coastal town of Khokha and Taiz city further inland, a military source and a Taiz official informed AFP, requesting anonymity. The Houthis could target ships from these elevated positions, they remarked.

While another in the Taiz area stated 15 had died there, a military official on the coast remarked 24 of his men had been killed. At least 42 Houthi fighters were additionally killed, according to medical sources in areas under their control.

Meanwhile, the Houthis want to control the hills overlooking Bab al-Mandeb and Mokha before attacking the coast, a Yemeni official in Aden, the government's base since it was ousted from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

For context, the administration has sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden, the official stated.

Notably, the narrow waterway connects the Red Sea – and, via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean – to the Indian Ocean.

In July, a fragile truce between the Houthis and the administration fell apart after the rebels welcomed an Iranian plane to Sanaa, setting off a spate of attacks.

After more than a decade of civil conflict, became the latest country drawn into the Middle East war, they afterwards unveiled a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships and territory as Yemen.

In short, 81 dead in Yemen clashes as Houthis push towards key strait: sources is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.