After Bab al-Mandab... Houthi withdrawals widen in Yemen

Sources in Taiz governorate, southwestern Yemen, reported the withdrawal of more than 50 vehicles carrying dozens of Houthi fighters from the al-Bariha and Bani Bakari areas toward al-Kadha, while dozens more left mountainous heights in Jabal Habashi district, amid continued advances by Yemeni forces in surrounding areas. This followed the Yemeni Armed Forces' announcement that they had taken control of Bab al-Mandab and Dhubab, cut the road linking Dhubab to Mokha and imposed fire control over it, along with what it described as a "strategic attack" on Houthi positions in the capital Sanaa. The internationally recognized Yemeni government had announced the start of an operation to retake territory, and Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi pledged to continue fighting until "the country is liberated from the grip of the armed Houthi group."