On Monday, October 5, government forces announced the retaking of key positions near Bab al-Mandab and the Dhubab area, and the government spokesman said the Giants Brigades and the Nation’s Shield Forces had taken control of Dhubab airport, cut its road to Mocha and surrounded hundreds of fighters (Al Jazeera, The National, Qatar Tribune, ITV). The Houthi Saba agency denied this. The government also announced an offensive on Sanaa. By contrast, on Sunday the Houthis took Turbah and cut the Taiz–Aden road (Agence France-Presse, Associated Press). The Yemeni army claimed it put 1,747 Houthi fighters out of action, a figure that cannot be verified.
The west coast and Bab al-Mandab lie on the route of energy and trade shipments, and any change in control over them affects Saudi Arabia directly. At the same time, losing supply to Taiz may weaken the government in the south.
No change to daily services. Follow the statements of official Saudi bodies on travel and safety, and avoid circulating unverified clips.
The government and its allies say that military pressure coordinated with the coalition restores the state and secures navigation.
The Houthis say the reports of advances are untrue, and analysts warn that government forces lack a unified command and that supply to Taiz is under threat.
The two sides have announced conflicting victories, and the only thing confirmed so far is the cutting of the Taiz–Aden road. We will not treat Dhubab as settled before independent images or field testimony, and we are following coalition statements and the situation in Taiz.
Al Jazeera, The National, Qatar Tribune, ITV, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press (October 5, 2026)
Yemeni government announces gains near Bab al-Mandab and an offensive on Sanaa; Houthis deny it and encircle Taiz
Government forces said on Monday they had taken control of Dhubab airport and cut its road to Mocha, and the coalition said 100 fighter jets took part and destroyed 324 targets. The Houthis denied this, and we found no independent confirmation.
After Rashad al-Alimi announced the start of operations on Sunday, Yemeni government forces announced on Monday, October 5, that they had retaken key positions near the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Dhubab area on the west coast, according to Al Jazeera, The National, Qatar Tribune and ITV. The government spokesman said the “Giants Brigades” and the “Nation’s Shield Forces” had taken control of Dhubab airport and cut the road between Dhubab and Mocha, and that hundreds of Houthi fighters were surrounded and called on to surrender.
The Houthi Saba news agency denied this and called it untrue. These are claims by the two parties to the conflict, and we have seen no satellite imagery or independent testimony that settles the matter. The government also announced a “strategic offensive” on Sanaa, as part of an operation named “Yemen Dawn” in English, and al-Alimi said the aim was to restore state institutions. The Houthi-run health ministry said that air strikes on Sanaa killed civilians; we have not verified the number.
By contrast, on Sunday the Houthis took the town of Turbah and cut the main road between Taiz and Aden, according to Agence France-Presse and Associated Press, and the Institute for the Study of War said this limits government forces’ ability to supply their lines in Taiz. The Yemeni army claimed it had put 1,747 Houthi fighters out of action in 1,122 operations, a toll that cannot be verified.
In DailyDrop’s reading, the picture is balanced between an announced gain on the coast and a more clearly confirmed loss at Taiz. Today, Tuesday, we are watching for: independent confirmation or denial of government control of Dhubab, the course of the fighting in Taiz and Marib, and coalition statements.