Yemeni cabinet: Regaining Bab Al-Mandab marks strategic shift

The Yemeni cabinet said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage aimed at restoring full sovereignty and ending the Iran-backed Houthi coup. During a meeting in the interim capital, Aden, the cabinet praised the victories of the Southern Giants Brigades, National Shield Forces, and popular resistance, with support from the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy, especially their advance toward controlling the Bab Al-Mandab Strait after liberating Dhubab and surrounding strategic sites, and cutting the road between Dhubab and Mokha.

The cabinet described this strategic shift in one of the world’s most important waterways as depriving the Houthi militia of a tool to blackmail international shipping. It noted that the Houthi attack on Aden International Airport, alongside strikes on airports and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, constitutes a cowardly act of terrorism aimed at covering up their battlefield defeats.

Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani stated that after losing Bab Al-Mandab and suffering blows in Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” the Houthi militia shifted its attacks to civilians and civilian infrastructure, escalating threats to the security of Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the region, and the safety of air and maritime navigation. He stressed that Houthi terrorism will not alter the course of the conflict or halt progress toward restoring the state.

The cabinet approved a draft law designating the Houthi group as a terrorist organization and criminalizing its activities and financing, instructing the completion of constitutional and legal procedures for its ratification. It also announced full support for Operation “Dawn of Yemen” and pledged all state resources to back it, affirming that any temporary setbacks on some fronts will not affect the national objective and that the operation will continue until its goals are achieved and Sana’a is reached.

The cabinet expressed appreciation for the support of Saudi Arabia and the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy for Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” stressing that the security of Yemen and Saudi Arabia is indivisible in the face of the Iran-backed Houthi threat. It reiterated support for the Presidential Leadership Council’s commitment to continue the operation until the threat is eliminated and state institutions are restored, calling on the international community and the UN Security Council to take responsibility in condemning and holding accountable those responsible for crimes and their arms suppliers.

The cabinet also praised directives from King Salman to regularize the status of Yemeni residents in Saudi Arabia who are living in the Kingdom without proper documentation and to grant them necessary facilities.