Houthis face mounting test to hold Yemen’s western coast

Reported Houthi advances along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast have altered a front that had remained largely static for about four years. Al Jazeera reported that the movement seized the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, Mayyun Island and coastal territory extending from Hodeidah towards Mocha and Bab al-Mandeb.

Maintaining control of the area would require sustained supplies and large forces across exposed coastal terrain and islands. Saeed Thabit, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Yemen, said the open coastline could make Houthi movements easier for aircraft to monitor and target.

Saudi Arabia-backed Yemeni government forces have reportedly launched counteroffensives near al-Waziyah, al-Mudaraba, Dhubab and al-Khokha. Government-aligned forces said they destroyed a Houthi military convoy near al-Waziyah and clashed with fighters near al-Mudaraba in Lahj province, while government forces also struck Houthi positions and equipment in Dhubab and al-Khokha.

The reported counteroffensives are intended to stretch Houthi resources across the coast, islands and other fronts. In response, the Houthis have reportedly intensified attacks in Marib and Lahj, which includes al-Anad airbase and provides a northern and western route towards Aden.

Al Jazeera analysts said the Houthis lack the same social and security influence on the coast that they have built in their northern strongholds. That leaves the movement potentially exposed to local resistance targeting its forces and supply routes, although the scale and operational effect of any such resistance remain unclear.

The Bab al-Mandeb strait is a major corridor for global shipping and energy transport, making the reported coastal gains an international security concern. Al Jazeera reported warnings that any threat to shipping could prompt a broader military response, while the economic consequences of Houthi control remain an assessment rather than an established outcome.