The Saudi-backed government has kicked off a major offensive on Houthis, with battles raging around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a major offensive against the Iranian-backed Houthis, with both sides claiming territorial gains as battles rage around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

The escalation comes after the Houthis took over the key territory around Bab el-Mandeb in September, one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints, which has gained particular significance amid disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz caused by the US-Iran war.

On Monday, the Yemeni army claimed to have pushed north along the Red Sea coast toward Mocha, while announcing "a strategic offensive operation on Sanaa," which serves as the de facto capital of the Houthi movement.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, agreed with Trkiye and Pakistan to rapidly deploy military forces under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, also known as the "Muslim NATO." The coalition already announced that 100 warplanes are supporting the Yemeni offensive.

The Houthis have denied the government gains, claiming to have made headway around Taiz, some 80km from the Red Sea coast. The group has also retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi targets, claiming strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, military bases, and Aramco oil facilities, including the Rabigh refinery. Saudi Arabia has confirmed damage from Houthi attacks on airports at Jizan and Najran.

The Houthis have consistently accused Riyadh of waging an "aggression" and blockade against Yemen, arguing that Saudi military operations serve US and Israeli interests. Their Yemeni opponents, meanwhile, view Houthis - who identify themselves as part of the "Axis of Resistance" - as "terrorists" and insurgents who overthrew the internationally recognized government in 2014.

The conflict in Yemen in its current form began when the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa more than a decade ago, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention. However, fighting largely subsided after a 2022 truce.

Amid the fighting in Yemen and continued US-Iran standoff, US President Donald Trump argued that record gas prices are being driven not by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz but by Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.