Houthis Threaten Government's Hold on Aden, But Taiz Stands Fast
Fighting between the Houthis and forces of the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) had been at something of a stalemate for several weeks, but that has changed in recent days.
Having recaptured the Ras Menhali peninsula overlooking the Bab el Mandeb strait at its narrowest, and probably having reclaimed Perim Island as well, the IRG has not managed to make ground farther north. It has not recaptured the coastal towns of Dhubab or Mocha, not gotten any closer to its main objective on the eastern coast of the Red Sea, the port city of Hodeidah.
For the Houthis, most of their energy has been absorbed by their attempt to capture Taiz. However, the population of the city has resisted fiercely, and the Houthis have so far failed to cut it off from IRG-held territory farther south.
In recent days, however, the Houthis do appear to have made some gains to the south of Taiz. Reuters is reporting that the Houthis have captured the entire Al Maqatirah district, some 40 miles northwest of Aden. If this is confirmed, not only is Aden threatened, but so is access to Taiz in the north. IRG positions overlooking the Gulf of Aden between Aden and the Bab el Mandeb could also be outflanked, as could the IRG’s tenuous hold on the recaptured Ras Menhali peninsula overlooking the Bab el Mandeb.
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Full-scale Houthi capture of this coastline would present a major increase in the threat posed to merchant shipping using the Bab el Mandeb and the Maritime Security Transit Corridor (MSTC), which leads from the southern Red Sea through the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthi advance, however, is far from confirmed or consolidated as yet, and the IRG can be expected to counterattack to recover lost ground.
