The Houthis are attempting to push into the Kahboub Mountains after seizing much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive this month, an advance that experts say could dramatically shift the balance of power in the country’s war if successful.
Strategic Importance
Kahboub, a mountainous region spanning parts of the Lahj and Taiz governorates in southern Yemen, derives much of its strategic importance from its proximity to Bab al-Mandeb. Some of its heights lie about 40 km from the waterway, providing commanding views across a stretch of the Red Sea through which a significant share of global maritime trade passes.
Experts said taking the high ground would help the Houthis defend the newly captured coastline and make it far harder for government forces to push them back. The mountains are described as the natural wall that protects the Houthis’ rear on the coast, cutting the coast off from the government-held south and placing direct pressure on Lahj and, in the longer term, Aden.
Current Fighting and Context
The renewed fighting in recent months with forces aligned with Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government has brought an end to the relative calm that had largely held since 2022. Fighting has centred on the outskirts of the remote Al-Wazi'iyah district in Taiz province and areas near Ras al-Ara.
The rebels captured the mountains in 2015 but lost them again, as well as the port city of Mokha, during a campaign by pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition on the Red Sea coast in 2017. They are now seeking to recapture these mountains to protect their back and consolidate positions.
Broader Implications
Controlling the elevated positions would provide defensive depth and cover for Houthi positions closer to the coast, making operations in the Red Sea easier to sustain. The battle is not only about a mountain range in southwestern Yemen but also about who can shape the land-based military geometry around one of the world's most strategically important maritime gateways.
