Battle for Bab el-Mandeb Strait Intensifies: Saudi Coalition Launches Massive Airstrikes, Houthi Missiles Strike Riyadh Airport

According to an AFP report dated October 10, 2026, military sources from Yemen's internationally recognized government said that day that government forces had advanced toward areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, attempting to retake the western coastline seized by the Houthis in a lightning offensive last month, but had not yet taken control of this vital waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The report noted that this was the latest progress one week after the internationally recognized government launched its counteroffensive with Saudi-led coalition support.

The Houthis denied any breakthrough by government forces. Houthi politburo member Hizam al-Asad told AFP that the Saudi-led coalition had launched an offensive from the Ras al-Ara area in Lahj province south of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but had been blocked by the Houthis from entering the strait zone, "inflicting significant personnel and equipment losses on the other side, with survivors forced to retreat." He emphasized that the Houthis still controlled the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Mayun Island, and the rest of Yemen's western coast. AFP added that military sources from the internationally recognized government also confirmed that Mayun Island, located in the heart of the strait, remained in Houthi hands, with the disagreement mainly concerning the direction of ground operations. AFP noted that the two sides held conflicting accounts of the battlefield situation, with the ground situation changing rapidly and journalists unable to enter the combat zone for independent verification.

Casualties from the fighting continue to mount. AFP, citing military sources from both sides of the conflict, reported that battles in just the past 24 hours in western Yemen, particularly near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, had killed at least 63 people, including 35 government troops and 28 Houthis.

Earlier the same morning, the Saudi-led multinational coalition announced the launch of a "large-scale operation" that had destroyed over 130 Houthi targets. The Houthi-operated Al-Masirah television reported that the coalition had conducted four airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport on the 10th, while airstrikes the previous day had killed two people. The international airport, as a civilian transportation hub, has continued to come under attack.

The Houthis extended the fighting into Saudi territory. AFP reported that a huge explosion was heard at Riyadh Airport at approximately 3 p.m. local time on the 10th, with witnesses and multiple sources confirming the scene; a diplomatic source familiar with the incident told AFP that the explosion was caused by a missile fired by the Houthis, stating bluntly: "The Houthis are attacking civilian targets, and Riyadh Airport is a civilian target." According to hospital sources, at least five injured were admitted to intensive care. King Khalid International Airport subsequently issued a travel advisory, recommending that travelers confirm flight status with airlines before departure.

The tug-of-war over a vital global shipping artery is dragging civilian infrastructure into the strike range of both sides — successive Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Sanaa airport, Houthi missiles striking Riyadh airport — with the cost paid by civilians continuing to mount.