Saudi coalition retakes towns near Bab el-Mandeb — SkimNews
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- Saudi-led coalition forces recaptured the town of Dhubab north of Bab el-Mandeb Strait plus the towns of Bab and Hadeid from Houthis on Monday (October 5, 2026), according to Yemeni officials speaking anonymously.
- Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said 100 Saudi fighter jets provided air cover, secured "air protection" of the strategic strait, and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed a U.S.-Saudi defense agreement exists and said the Saudi-backed Yemeni government "has a right to defend themselves," while declining to detail coordination.
- U.S. support for the offensive included intelligence sharing, target identification, and planning — a reversal from recent years when the U.S. had quit the Saudi-led coalition, per a regional and U.S. official.
- Houthis had captured a key town in southwestern Yemen just before the offensive, advancing toward a strategic provincial capital — a separate gain that frames the coalition push as partly retaliatory.
- U.S. Embassy in Riyadh warned American citizens to be vigilant about possible drone or missile attacks as the offensive unfolded.
Why it matters: The U.S. has returned to coordinating with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen after stepping away in recent years, providing intelligence and target identification for an offensive that retook key Bab el-Mandeb towns and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets. Rubio tied the support to a U.S.-Saudi defense agreement — and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh simultaneously warned citizens of possible drone or missile attacks, signaling the risk of Houthi retaliation.
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