Image source: EPA
The internationally recognized Yemeni government announced on Sunday the “repositioning” of its forces from areas close to an area overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, completing its withdrawal from it, with the Ansar Allah Houthi group strengthening its control over the strategic waterway.
The Armed Forces of the Yemeni government announced in a statement, on their account on the
She added, "This step comes based on the priority of securing the capital, Aden, and neighboring governorates, strengthening the fronts, and dealing with existing threats, in addition to continuing operations to lift the siege on the city of Taiz."
Agence France-Presse quoted four military sources as saying that the withdrawal of government forces comes "after the Houthis advance on the coast of Lahj (southwest) and attempt to impose a siege on it."
The government's withdrawal from the Bab al-Mandab region would give the Houthis greater control over this vital sea corridor, whose strategic importance has increased as Iran continues to disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
The announcement also indicates a clear end to a counter-attack launched by Yemeni government forces over a period of six weeks to restore the coast near the entrance to the Red Sea after the Houthis took control of it last September in a lightning attack that led to a reduction in oil exports.
This announcement increases the possibility of the Houthis launching new attacks to advance towards Aden.
On Friday, the Yemeni government, which has been supported by a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, began fortifying its positions on the outskirts of Aden Governorate, in which its capital is based.
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The conflict in Yemen was renewed in July following the collapse of a truce agreement that had existed between the Houthis and the government since 2022.
The fighting escalated in September, after a surprise attack that enabled the Houthis to control the western coast of Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait area.
In early October, the Yemeni government, with support from Riyadh, began a counterattack to reclaim areas from the Houthis, especially those they had recently controlled.
Violent battles are still taking place between the two sides, resulting in dozens of deaths last week, according to military sources from both sides.
The release of 600 members of the government forces
Image source: Reuters
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Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that the Houthis had released 600 members of government forces detained since the resumption of hostilities in July.
The committee said in a statement that it accompanied the process of releasing these detainees.
The head of the Houthis' National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, Abdul Qadir Al-Murtada, said in a press conference in Sanaa that the release of 600 prisoners represents "the largest unilateral amnesty and prisoner release process in the history of confrontations," noting that the Houthis had previously released 2,612 prisoners in unilateral initiatives.
Al-Murtada accused "the other party of evading its obligations under the agreement," considering this to be the main reason for its faltering implementation, in addition to the UN envoy stopping consultations related to the prisoner file.
The Houthi official accused Saudi Arabia of obstructing progress in this file, saying, "Our information indicates that there are instructions from Saudi Arabia to the other party and the United Nations to stop any progress in the prisoners' file."
He said that the Ansar Allah Houthi group has been holding large numbers of prisoners since the start of the recent escalation, pledging to continue efforts to release the Houthi prisoners.
8 civilians killed in "Houthi attack"
On the ground, at least eight civilians were killed and 12 others were injured in a missile attack launched by the Houthis in Lahj, near Aden, according to what Agence France-Presse reported from four sources.
Two military sources said that the Houthis targeted the area with three missiles, two of which hit a checkpoint at the western entrance to the city of Aden, while the third missile targeted a small popular market near another checkpoint in the Khor Amira area in Lahj Governorate, resulting in civilian casualties.
Military sources indicated that there were casualties among soldiers as well, without providing a specific number.
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