Yemeni military sources announced on Friday that government forces had completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Mayyun Island, following a military operation involving heavy fighting between the Southern Giants Brigades and Houthi fighters. The government forces received air support from the Saudi Air Force during the operation, according to a Yemeni military source.
Giants Brigades advance towards Bab al-Mandab
The announcement came hours after the start of an operation described as aiming to complete control of the Bab al-Mandab area. A field correspondent reported on Friday morning that the coalition was providing air cover to enable the forces involved in the operation to establish full control of the area. As the operation advanced, field sources said the Giants forces had taken control of the mountain range overlooking al-Ardi camp in Bab al-Mandab.
This represented the latest announced advance by the forces before military sources later reported that they had completed their control of Bab al-Mandab after clearing it. In a parallel account of developments on the ground, Yemeni sources reported hearing explosions in the coastal Bab al-Mandab area as fighting intensified between the Southern Giants Brigades and Houthi group fighters.
At the time, those sources reported that the Giants forces had made ground advances, before control of the strait and Mayyun Island was announced. Military sources said the Giants forces had engaged in heavy fighting with the remaining Houthi fighters in Bab al-Mandab.
The statement came after the same sources announced that government forces had completed their takeover and clearing of the area, reflecting the continuation of clashes with remaining Houthi elements during the final stages of the operation, according to published field accounts. A Yemeni military source confirmed that government forces had established control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Mayyun Island with support from the Saudi Air Force.
Diverging accounts of air support and ground movements
This account of the takeover matched another military announcement issued later on Friday morning, while reports distinguished between support attributed directly to the Saudi Air Force and the air cover said to have been provided by the coalition to the advancing forces. Reports of air strikes in the area accompanied the ground movements.
A news channel also posted on its Telegram account images it said showed those strikes, as forces advanced towards positions overlooking al-Ardi camp and engaged Houthi fighters in the coastal area.
The successive accounts show a sequence that began with reports of explosions and intensifying clashes in Bab al-Mandab, followed by the announcement of air cover to support an operation to complete control of the area. The Giants Brigades then advanced to the mountain range overlooking al-Ardi camp. The military sources subsequently said government forces had completed their control of Bab al-Mandab, before confirming that the takeover also included Mayyun Island.
Details of the takeover, clashes and air support are based on statements from military and Yemeni sources and field reports issued on Friday.
While military sources described Bab al-Mandab as having been cleared, later accounts at the same time reported heavy fighting with remaining Houthi fighters during the operations preceding the announcement of full control of the strait and the island.
