Newsletters
Yemen's Southern Armed Forces, which are affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), have pulled out of Dhubab airport and the Bab el-Mandeb area west of Taiz province, leaving the strategic coastal position to Iran-backed Houthi forces.
The forces announced the withdrawal in a statement, saying they were reorganizing their deployment in response to growing military pressure and threats against Aden.
"Amid the latest developments on the battlefronts, military build-ups and threats targeting the capital Aden and neighboring provinces, the Southern Armed Forces announce the redeployment of their forces from Dhubab airport and the Bab el-Mandeb area west of Taiz province," the statement read.
The move shifts their focus away from the western coastal front toward securing Aden, a key southern stronghold, and reinforcing positions elsewhere.
The forces said protecting Aden and nearby provinces had become a priority, alongside strengthening other fronts and responding to security threats.
They also pledged to continue efforts to lift the Houthi siege of Taiz, where residents had endured years of restrictions and hardship.
"Our confrontation with the terrorist Houthi militias, backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, will continue without interruption until these militias are eradicated," the statement said.
The withdrawal follows a series of shifts in control along Yemen's western coast.
On Oct. 5, Yemeni government forces, including the Southern Giants Brigades and Nation's Shield forces, claimed to have retaken the Bab el-Mandeb area, Dhubab airport and nearby positions from the Houthis during an offensive called Operation Dawn of Yemen.
The Southern Giants Brigades later reported advances along the contested front in early November, as fighting continued in the area.
The forces rejected the idea that leaving Bab el-Mandeb meant abandoning their wider campaign against the Houthis.
"National duty and the shared responsibility to confront threats are not tied to a specific geographical location, but are fulfilled wherever duty calls," the statement said.
They also pledged to keep defending the population and confronting threats, insisting that changes on the battlefield would not prevent them from carrying out their duties.
The Southern Armed Forces comprise a network of military and security formations in southern Yemen, many of which have historically been affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist movement seeking to restore an independent South Yemen.
Their ranks have included the Southern Giants Brigades and Security Belt Forces, which have played prominent roles in fighting the Houthis.
However, the southern military landscape underwent a major restructuring in January 2026 after a Saudi-backed government offensive reversed the STC's territorial gains and brought several formerly affiliated units under government command.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
