Yemen government forces seize strategic Jabal Zalat mountain overlooking Bab el-Mandeb

Yemeni government forces have seized a strategic mountain overlooking areas near the Bab el-Mandeb strait after clashes with Houthi fighters, a senior official said on Tuesday. Anadolu report

Fayyad Alnoman, assistant undersecretary at Yemen’s Information Ministry for television affairs, cited field sources on X as saying government military forces drove Houthi forces from Jabal Zalat, located behind the Kahbub mountain range in Lahj governorate. The mountain overlooks the Al-Omari area and Bab el-Mandeb, a strategically important waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Tribune/Reuters summary

Alnoman said the Houthis suffered heavy losses in personnel and military equipment during the fighting, and that control of Jabal Zalat puts the Al-Omari military camp within firing range of government forces, strengthening their positions and increasing pressure on Houthi-held sites in the area. The Houthi group did not immediately comment on the reports. Anadolu report

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks along fronts between Taiz and Lahj provinces, with government forces previously reporting the capture of several highlands in the Kahboub mountain range and launching counteroffensives toward Houthi-held positions in areas commanding routes toward Yemen’s western coast, Bab el-Mandeb and Dhubab. Anadolu background