Yemeni government forces pull back from Bab al-Mandeb to shore up Aden defences

Forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government have announced a withdrawal from positions near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, saying they need to concentrate on defending the interim capital, Aden, against the Houthi armed group.

A spokesman for the Southern Armed Forces, which fight alongside the Saudi-backed government, said on Sunday that the group was redeploying from Dhubab airport and surrounding areas in southwestern Yemen. He framed the pullback as a matter of priorities, saying: "This step is taken based on the priority of securing the capital, Aden, and the neighbouring governorates, as well as strengthening the front lines and addressing existing threats."

The move points to the growing danger of fresh Houthi advances toward Aden, the southern port city that has served as the government's base since the Houthis drove its leaders out of Sanaa more than a decade ago. Houthi forces have also captured highland areas north of Aden, where the government has operated since 2015, and say they are preparing to push toward the city itself.

According to the announcement, reinforcements will also be dispatched in an effort to break the Houthi siege of Taiz, where heavy fighting has been raging west of the city. Humanitarian conditions in Yemen's third-largest city are deteriorating, with aid deliveries blocked and civilians unable to get out.

Taiz is sheltering roughly half of the 300,000 people displaced across Yemen since the 2022 ceasefire broke down this summer and fighting intensified. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, Arabic for Supporters of God, seized large stretches of territory along the country's western coast in September.

The redeployment could mark a setback for the counteroffensive government forces launched that same month to retake Houthi-held areas. The operation quickly recaptured key positions around the strait, most notably Dhubab, but failed to dislodge the Houthis from the coastal city of Mocha and other nearby areas.

The Houthis answered the counteroffensive with intensified drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, grounding flights and striking at energy facilities. Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had shot down two drones launched over the Mecca region. The Houthis have not commented on the alleged attack.

Majid Al-Nazili, a spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, urged the international community to help restore Bab al-Mandeb and Yemen's west coast to government control, stressing that the strait is vital to freedom of maritime navigation and international trade.

Also on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the Houthis, with its support, had unilaterally released 600 prisoners "in connection with the armed conflict".