Government forces announce full control of the Kahboub Mountains overlooking Bab al-Mandab and expand their operations in Al-Wazi’iyah and Taiz; the Houthis continue missile attacks toward Riyadh and Aden, while the coalition intensifies strikes on launch sites

October 8, 2026

Monitoring and Analysis | Strategic Media Management – BETH Agency
Supervision: Abdullah Al-Omairah

Operation “Dawn of Yemen” entered its fourth day as the battle shifted from consolidating coastal gains to controlling the highlands that command movement routes between Bab al-Mandab, Taiz, and Yemen’s interior.

Government forces announced that they had secured full control of the Kahboub Mountains overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in an advance that gives them an elevated position overlooking the roads leading to the coast, alongside continued operations in Al-Wazi’iyah and the western fronts of Taiz.

Militarily, this means the operation is no longer aimed only at retaking the coast, but has begun moving toward cutting the link between Houthi positions in the highlands and their access points to the Red Sea, paving the way for expanding pressure toward Hodeidah and deeper areas of Taiz.

In response, the Houthis are attempting to strike outside the Yemeni fronts, toward Riyadh, Abha, and Aden over the past two days. Attacks on Aden Airport with missiles and drones have also continued, while the coalition has intensified its strikes on military sites and launch platforms.

Assessment:
The fourth day shows that the battle for Bab al-Mandab has become the gateway to a larger battle. Control of Kahboub and pressure in Al-Wazi’iyah mean that government forces are moving to shift the confrontation from retaking positions to reshaping the entire western front; while the Houthis are attempting to transfer the cost of the battle to Saudi Arabia and civilian airports.

The next test will be: will the advance in the highlands turn into a direct push toward Hodeidah, or will the battle enter a prolonged consolidation phase?

Developments

Military and political developments continue in Yemen, as the war enters a more decisive phase with the expansion of military operations and the shift of the battle from containing Houthi capabilities to targeting key centers of their power and deployment positions, alongside direct coalition strikes on missile launch platforms.

Operation “Dawn of Yemen” is proceeding at an accelerated pace across several fronts, while the Houthis are coming under successive air strikes and government forces continue advancing on the ground.

In response, the Houthis have attempted to move part of the confrontation beyond the Yemeni fronts by targeting Saudi civilian airports and cities with their remaining ballistic missiles and drones.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation had announced on Wednesday that facilities at Abha Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were subjected to two attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday. The attack on Abha Airport resulted in the deaths of two residents and injuries to 28 people, ranging from minor to serious, while the attack on King Khalid International Airport resulted in the death of one resident and injuries to eight others. The authority confirmed continued coordination with the relevant security agencies to ensure the safety of passengers and workers and to preserve the security and safety of the civil aviation system.

In Thursday’s developments, the Saudi Civil Defense announced that it responded to the fall of fragments from a ballistic missile in Riyadh after it was intercepted and destroyed, causing material damage to a kindergarten and a medical clinics complex, with no injuries reported.

The Coalition to Support Legitimacy said it intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, while coalition forces destroyed another ballistic missile that was heading toward Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said coalition forces destroyed in Sana’a the ballistic missile launch platform used in the attack on Riyadh, explaining that the platform was destroyed while preparations were under way for an imminent attack against the Kingdom.