Yemen’s Houthi rebels have pushed to within roughly 80 kilometres of Aden, military sources and officials said on Monday, while exchanging strikes with a Saudi-led coalition. The move puts them closer to the temporary capital than at any time since 2015.
Four military sources said fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces was under way at a military camp at the entrance to Tur al-Bahah district, one of the main approaches to Aden. After taking Al-Maqatirah district in an assault launched three days earlier, the Houthis now threaten strategic positions along the main road that links Aden with the besieged city of Taiz.
Fighting on the road to Aden
Tur al-Bahah sits on a key route into Aden. Control of approaches there, and of ground along the Aden–Taiz corridor, matters because Taiz has long been under pressure and Aden hosts the internationally recognised government’s temporary base. Military sources described active combat at the camp guarding the district entrance, marking a sharp advance from the Al-Maqatirah gains.
Strikes in Hodeidah and claims over Saudi skies
On the same day, the Houthis said Saudi-led strikes hit a key Red Sea port and an oil facility in Hodeidah province, wounding seven people. Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi said four civilians were wounded at Ras Issa port and three more at an oil site in Bajil district. He called repeated attacks on oil facilities and vital ports a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.” The Saudi-led coalition said it had carried out a “precision operation to neutralise vital resources” used by the Houthis.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Houthi forces had, over the previous 48 hours, targeted Dammam Airport in eastern Saudi Arabia in two phases with two drones, and also claimed strikes on a Saudi early-warning radar and a military transport plane in the kingdom’s southwest. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said forces intercepted and destroyed two drones in the Riyadh area. Saudi Arabia’s civil defence authority issued alerts for Khamis Mushait, Abha, Taif and Najran, then said the threat had passed.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2015: Houthis last came this close to Aden, according to military sources describing the current advance.
- Three days before Monday: Houthis launched an assault and took Al-Maqatirah district.
- Past 48 hours before Monday’s claims: Houthis said they struck Dammam Airport in two drone phases; the coalition reported destroying two drones near Riyadh.
- Monday: Fighting reported at a Tur al-Bahah entrance camp; Houthis said to be within 80km of Aden; Houthi officials reported seven wounded in Hodeidah strikes; civil defence alerts issued then lifted for several Saudi cities.
What happens next will turn on whether government forces can hold the Tur al-Bahah approaches and whether cross-border strikes continue. Neither side’s battlefield claims beyond the points above were independently settled in the available accounts.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Yemen ke Houthi groups Aden ke qareeb 80 kilometre tak aa gaye hain, 2015 ke baad sab se zyada qareeb. Aden ke raste par Tur al-Bahah ke paas larai chal rahi hai. Saudi coalition aur Houthis ne ek doosre par hamle bhi kiye, jisme Hodeidah mein saat log zakhmi bataye gaye. Saudi shehron mein alert aaye, phir khatra guzarne ka elaan hua.
