Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Friday it had seized six districts across Hodeidah and Taiz and taken control of about 5,400 square kilometres of territory during a sweeping offensive along the country’s western coast.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the operation, launched on September 3, targeted government-aligned forces comprising 38 brigades across seven military formations.
The scale of the territorial gains claimed by the Houthis could not be independently verified.
Saree also claimed Houthi forces had confronted dozens of warplanes during the fighting and shot down nine aircraft. He did not identify the aircraft or provide evidence supporting the claim.
The Houthi spokesman described the offensive as a response to what he called the “unjust blockade” imposed on Yemen.
He also said Red Sea shipping remained safe for international companies, with the exception of Saudi vessels, signalling that Riyadh-linked shipping could remain a target as regional tensions continue to rise.
The announcement provides the Houthis’ broadest account yet of the scale of their latest western Yemen offensive, which has intensified fighting across areas overlooking the Red Sea.
The group has made a series of advances in recent days around Yemen’s western coastline, including areas close to Dhubab and Perim island near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
Government-aligned forces have said they intend to retake areas lost during the Houthi advance.
The latest Houthi claims come amid a widening regional conflict and renewed concern over the security of shipping through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, which connect the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea.
