An unidentified military source accused the Houthi group of heavily laying mines in the Bab al-Mandab area in a claim published on Friday 9 October 2026, amid successive military developments around the strait off western Yemen. The military source said the Houthis had laid mines with «enormous intensity» in the area, while the information remained attributed to the unnamed source and was not accompanied by published field evidence establishing the scale or locations of the mining operations.
Previous accusations of laying mines in Bab al-Mandab
A Yemeni military source said in remarks carried by the German Press Agency in September 2026 that the Houthis had laid naval mines in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and dug trenches in the mountains overlooking it as part of military moves to strengthen their presence at sites around the maritime passage.
The latest claim came four days after Yemen’s government-affiliated armed forces announced, on 5 October 2026, that they had taken control of the Bab al-Mandab area and Dhu Bab airfield west of Taiz governorate, as part of a military operation dubbed «Dawn of Yemen».
The armed forces’ spokesman, Colonel Majid al-Nazili, said the Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield forces had taken control of Bab al-Mandab after outflanking Houthi positions. He added that the forces had cut the road linking Dhu Bab and Mokha and established fire control over it, noting that hundreds of members of the group had been surrounded in Dhu Bab and some had fled by sea in boats.
Naval mine previously found and disabled
Yemen’s government forces had previously announced, on 22 August 2026, that they had found a naval mine that they said the Houthis had laid in a vital area of the international passage through Bab al-Mandab. A military source said at the time that a naval unit belonging to the National Resistance Brigades had disabled the mine and taken the necessary measures to eliminate the danger it posed.
The same source added that the naval forces had simultaneously destroyed a Houthi explosive-laden boat, as part of measures they said were aimed at securing the passage and dealing with sources of danger around it.
