DUBAI: Clashes between Yemen's Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces have killed 81, military and medical sources said on Friday (Sep 4), as the Iran-backed rebels push towards territory bordering a chokepoint in the strategic Red Sea. Fighting erupted on Thursday, after the Houthis launched a ground assault along with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas, vying for control of the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait at the Red Sea's southern entrance.

The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi ships in recent weeks in the Red Sea, which has emerged as an alternative route for oil exports after Iran all but halted shipments from the Gulf by blockading the Strait of Hormuz. The rebels are now trying to cement their hold over one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which they have disrupted with attacks on passing vessels since the Gaza war broke out in 2023.

The Houthi offensive aims to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha, under fire for weeks, and advance towards areas bordering the Bab el-Mandeb, military sources told AFP. The rebels have seized elevated sites overlooking government positions near the Red Sea, the coastal town of Khokha and Taiz city further inland, a military source and a Taiz official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

The Houthis could target ships from these elevated positions, they said. A military official on the coast said 24 of his men had been killed, while another in the Taiz area said 15 had died there. At least 42 Houthi militants were also killed, according to medical sources in areas under their control.

REINFORCEMENTS SENT The Houthis want to control the hills overlooking Bab el-Mandeb and Mokha before attacking the coast, a Yemeni official in Aden, the government's base since it was ousted from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The government has sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden on Saudi orders, the official said.

With Iran's closure of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint has gained increased importance as a transit route for oil from Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter of crude. The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea - and, via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean - to the Indian Ocean.

Although the Houthis do not control areas bordering Bab el-Mandeb, they hold the key port city of Hodeida north of Mokha. In July, a fragile truce between the Houthis and the government fell apart after the rebels welcomed an Iranian plane to Sanaa, setting off a spate of attacks.

They later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships and territory as Yemen, following more than a decade of civil conflict, became the latest country drawn into the Middle East war.

Sep 4th, 2026 US VP Vance on Iran Conflict: “I Wouldn’t Call it a War” | Daybreak Europe 9/4/2026 Bloomberg Daybreak Europe is your essential morning viewing to stay ahead. Live from London, we set the agenda for your day, catching you up with overnight markets news from the US and Asia.

And we'll tell you what matters for investors in Europe, giving you insight before trading begins. Vice President JD Vance downplayed the scope of the conflict in Iran, saying he would not describe it as “a war” given that major combat operations ended several weeks ago — even though military strikes recently intensified in the region.

Global stocks extended their advance as easing bets on a Federal Reserve interest-rate hike this month lifted sentiment. And Volkswagen’s supervisory board backed a sweeping restructuring that calls for 50,000 additional job cuts, far fewer models and a smaller industrial footprint, giving Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume his clearest mandate yet to overhaul Europe’s biggest carmaker.

Jordan, a U.S. ally hosting American military forces, has faced repeated drone and missile attacks, which reports suggest are linked to Iranian operations, alongside broader economic challenges and regional instability. Despite these security risks, Jordanian officials have affirmed their commitment to the alliance, while King Abdullah II warned that current global and regional disruptions pose a broad threat to international stability.

Oil prices rose this week as conflict intensified in the six-month war, with Iran reportedly maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz while the US presses a counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian authorities claimed to have targeted US military assets in Kuwait and the UAE, though Kuwait confirmed intercepting a missile and drone attack on its air base, while the UAE reported no evidence of an attack on its own facilities.

These exchanges followed Iran’s attribution of a deadly wedding strike in Kuhestak to the US, a claim US Vice President JD Vance stated is currently under investigation but disputed by Washington.