Yemen: New Videos Accompany Disputed Claims of Advances Near Bab Al Mandab

Accounts associated with Saudi backed forces in Yemen are circulating footage they attribute to the Dhubab area, claiming to have captured military sites near Bab al Mandab. The claims remain unverified and are denied by the Houthis.

Claims focus on a base and airfield

The accounts identify the Al Amari base and Dhubab airfield as sites their forces have taken. They present the videos as footage from the area overlooking the Bab al Mandab Strait.

These are claims by accounts aligned with one side of the fighting. The circulation of the videos does not, by itself, confirm the reported capture of either site or establish who currently controls them.

Graphic footage also being circulated

Other videos shared by accounts associated with the same forces are described by their publishers as showing Houthi fighters being run over and killed in the Dhubab area.

That description remains an allegation. The identity of those depicted, the location and timing of the footage, and the circumstances of the reported killings have not been independently established here.

Houthis deny the reported gains

The Houthis continue to deny the claims of territorial losses. With conflicting accounts and no independent confirmation, the reported advances should not be treated as an established change in control.

Claims concerning positions near Bab al Mandab also do not establish control over the strait itself. The central unresolved question is whether the footage supports the territorial gains claimed by the accounts publishing it.

Viewer warning: Videos associated with this report are described as containing graphic violence.