Houthis Advance to Within 80 Km of Aden in Closest Push Since 2015
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of Aden, the temporary capital and main stronghold of the country’s internationally recognized government, four military sources told Reuters on Monday, November 2, 2026.
The push brings the Houthis closer to Aden than at any point since the early months of the war in 2015, when they briefly entered the city before being driven out. It also opens a volatile new front in the wider U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, drawing both the Houthis and Saudi Arabia deeper into a regional conflict that has already shaken oil markets and shipping lanes.
Fighting was underway on Monday at a military camp at the entrance to Tur al-Bahah district, one of the main approaches to Aden, the sources said. The camp sits about 50 km from the provincial capital of Lahj and 80 km from Aden itself.
Al-Maqatirah falls after three-day assault
The advance follows a three-day assault on government positions in Al-Maqatirah, a mountainous district that overlooks the road linking Taiz to Aden. The Houthis have since taken the whole district, the military sources said, forcing government troops to retreat toward Tur al-Bahah.
That road matters far beyond the battlefield. It is a vital artery for southwestern Yemen and, according to Reuters, the last remaining link between government-held territory and Taiz during the war. Control of the high ground above it gives the Houthis a chance to outflank government forces along the mountain range overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the sources said. Government troops had expelled Houthi fighters from the area only weeks ago.
Houthi official Hamid Rizq posted a video that he said showed the group’s fighters entering Souq al-Rabouh in Maqatirah district. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the video. Yemen’s information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiz encircled, more than 100,000 displaced
Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, has been encircled since early October, when the Houthis cut its main road south to Aden. The siege has displaced more than 100,000 people and caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine, Reuters reported.
The threat to the Aden-Taiz road therefore lands on a population already under severe strain. If the road is cut or comes under sustained fire, moving supplies and people between the two government-held cities becomes far harder, and the siege of Taiz tightens further.
Attacks on Aden itself have also intensified in recent weeks. The group struck Aden airport on Wednesday after warning people to evacuate, and the presidential palace was also hit in October, according to Reuters.
A September offensive reaches the Bab el-Mandeb
The push toward Aden is part of a broader offensive that began in September, when the Houthis swept down Yemen’s Red Sea coast and seized territory along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. That strait is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes and a key route for Saudi oil exports to Asia.
The Houthis have escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen’s government, while the Saudi-led coalition has responded by stepping up strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, Reuters reported. The violence has shattered a 2022 United Nations-brokered truce that had largely halted major attacks in a war that began in 2014, when the Houthis drove the government from the capital, Sanaa.
On Monday, the Houthis also said they had launched drones toward Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport, as well as an early-warning radar in Jizan and a military transport aircraft at Jizan airport. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of those claims. A Houthi spokesperson separately claimed that, over the past 48 hours, the group had targeted airports in Dammam and Jizan, causing damage to military equipment and disrupting air traffic, according to a live-war blog citing the claim. Those details remain Houthi claims unless independently confirmed.
Why Washington is watching
For American readers, the stakes run through energy, shipping and U.S. forces in the region. The Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and disruption there can ripple into global oil and cargo markets. Oil prices fell sharply on Monday on hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the wider Iran conflict, a reminder of how quickly war news in the region moves markets.
Diplomacy was also in motion on Monday. Iranian negotiators left talks with Qatari mediators aimed at ending the war with the United States, and a draft proposal was being circulated, with a follow-up meeting possible, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the basis of the talks is a seven-step plan Iran drew up in September to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. naval blockade on Iran. Qatar’s Al Jazeera quoted Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying that under a deal, the strait could be opened within a two-day timeline rather than within the seven days originally envisaged. Iran’s initial proposal was rejected by President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.
Trump has said the United States would not launch new attacks on Iran before Tuesday’s midterm elections, but he has not ruled out further military action. That timetable, combined with the Houthi advance toward Aden and the fighting around Taiz, leaves the next days unusually uncertain for a region already on edge.
What happens next will likely turn on whether government forces can hold the Tur al-Bahah approach, whether the Saudi-led coalition can blunt the Houthi push from the air, and whether the draft proposal circulating after the Doha talks turns into a real pause. None of those outcomes is assured, and the sources speaking to Reuters described fighting still underway on Monday, not a settled front line.
Frequently asked questions
How close are the Houthis to Aden?
Within 80 km (50 miles), according to four military sources cited by Reuters on Monday, November 2, 2026. Fighting was reported at a camp at the entrance to Tur al-Bahah district, about 80 km from Aden.
Why is this advance significant?
It is the closest the Houthis have come to Aden since the early months of the war in 2015, when they briefly entered the city before being driven out. Aden has served as the internationally recognized government’s temporary capital since 2015.
What is Al-Maqatirah, and why does it matter?
Al-Maqatirah is a mountainous district overlooking the road between Taiz and Aden. The Houthis took the whole district after a three-day assault, Reuters reported, threatening a vital supply artery and the last remaining wartime link to besieged Taiz.
What is happening in Taiz?
Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, has been encircled since early October, when the Houthis cut its main road south to Aden. The siege has displaced more than 100,000 people and caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
Have Saudi Arabia or Yemen’s government confirmed the advance?
Reuters cited four military sources for the advance. Yemen’s information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and there was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the Houthis’ separate Monday drone claims against Dammam and Jizan.
What does this mean for shipping and oil?
The Houthi offensive has reached territory along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping lane and route for Saudi oil exports to Asia. Escalation in the area can affect shipping and energy markets, while a diplomatic breakthrough could ease those pressures.
Sources and related coverage
Sources: Reuters: Yemen’s Houthis advance to within 80 km of Aden, sources say; Reuters: Yemen’s Houthis say they launched drones towards Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport; Reuters: Iranians have left Doha talks, draft proposal for U.S. deal being circulated; The Jerusalem Post (Reuters): Houthis push to closest position to Aden since 2015. Related NationWire coverage: Russia Launches 193 Drones at Ukraine Overnight as Ceasefire Ends; UN Ends 35-Year Western Sahara Peacekeeping Mission After Security Council Deadlock.
