Yemen’s Southern Armed Forces said Sunday they were redeploying from the Bab el-Mandeb area toward Aden, moving troops away from a Red Sea corridor linked to an oil route.
The force said the move would prioritize security in Aden and neighboring governorates, reinforce front lines and address threats. Reuters described the pullback as a possible end to a six-week counteroffensive aimed at clearing the Red Sea’s southern entrance. A Saudi-backed government operation recovered positions near the strait last month, but Houthi forces remained in the area and al-Mocha was not retaken. Reuters said the withdrawal raised the possibility of further Houthi advances toward Aden.
Yemeni military sources cited by Reuters said government troops had moved to al-Suqyah, 150 kilometers west of Aden, while continuing to contest nearby coastal positions. The same sources placed Houthi fighters just outside the Tur al-Bahah district, about 80 kilometers from Taiz. Earlier Houthi gains threatened positions along the Aden-Taiz road, as described in EconoTimes’ earlier coverage. Reuters said recent fighting had displaced about 300,000 people across Yemen, with roughly half in Taiz. It reported that aid deliveries could not reach the city and civilians could not leave.
Bahrain said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks. Reuters described these as the first interceptions of this kind since September. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet command. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it attacked a U.S. military base in Bahrain with six drones, citing what it called hostile U.S. actions, Fars reported.
Reuters said Houthi strikes on Saudi airports and energy sites had unsettled global oil markets. It also reported that Gulf crude flows were near prewar levels, although attacks on ships remained frequent and prices elevated.
Iranian state media said Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is due to visit Oman Tuesday for talks with his counterpart. Oman has served as a mediator in the crisis and lies along the southern coast of the Strait of Hormuz.
