Kahboub Mountains.. a strategic gain for the Yemeni forces that secures the passes

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

The Yemeni forces’ announcement of control over the Kahboub Mountains had a significance that went beyond seizing locations on the battle map. Possessing these heights gave it an advantage in monitoring movements, stabilizing defense lines, and securing corridors between the fronts, thus enhancing its gains and supporting its operations in Taiz and the western coast.

Two military analysts placed the progress in Kahboub within a broader path, at the forefront of which is the battle of Taiz and breaking its siege, leading to creating the conditions for movement towards Hodeidah.

It is a series of highlands and mountain passes within a range connecting southwest of Taiz to west of Lahj. Their high positions give them an advantage in monitoring movements, stabilizing defense lines, and influencing the movement of forces through the surrounding corridors.

Therefore, by controlling it, the Yemeni forces gain an advanced position in the land hinterland of Bab al-Mandab, which can enhance the protection of their coastal positions and secure movement and supply lines.

Owning heights allows gains to be consolidated in neighboring axes, and grants progress an extension beyond the borders of the location in which it was achieved.

However, this preference does not mean control over the strait or direct control of navigation in it. Bab al-Mandab gives the region its geopolitical weight, while the mountains provide tools for military influence in its land environment. Hence, the importance of Kahboub appears as a supporting element to secure the fronts connected to the coast.

If the heights give the advantage of observation and defence, the corridors explain the widening effect of the battle. Kahboub is connected to the fighting axes between western Taiz and the western coast on the one hand, and Lahj and Sabiha on the other hand, within a network linking the coastal areas to the interior.

Due to this interconnectedness, establishing control over the mountains could help the Yemeni forces protect their lines and support neighboring fronts, while it may narrow the options for movement for the Houthis. Therefore, the value of the location is linked to the support it provides to the surrounding axes and the ability to maintain the cohesion of military deployment.

Accordingly, the distance separating Kahub from Aden or Bab al-Mandab is not enough to explain its importance. The most prominent factor is its impact on the movement network between combat areas. The more these links can be secured and supplies stabilized, the greater the chances of converting field advances into viable control.

In his explanation of this achievement, the Yemeni military attaché in Jordan, Brigadier General Yahya Abu Hatem, confirmed to Al Arabiya/Al-Hadath that the liberation of the Kahboub Mountains demonstrates the efficiency of the Yemeni forces in resolving battles in rugged terrain, indicating that Operation “Yemen Dawn” is proceeding with professionalism and high momentum.

He also explained that fighting in mountainous areas is the most complex and requires advanced weapons. Thus, Abu Hatem puts the difficulty of the field at the heart of his assessment of progress, considering that overcoming it reflects the forces’ ability to engage in confrontations imposed by the nature of the terrain.

Abu Hatem accused the Houthi militia of using civilians as human shields in areas under its control.

As for the next stage, he called for focusing military efforts on Taiz, considering that its front would constitute a major axis for the recovery of the rest of the governorates under the control of the Houthis.

Regarding this priority, his vision intersects with the assessment of Yemeni military analyst Abdul Wahab Bahibah, who linked the expected progress in Mawza, Al-Kadha and Jabal Habashi, and breaking the Houthi attack on the Taiz front, with weakening the militia in one of the most important arenas of confrontation militarily and geographically.

Bahibah also saw that expanding control around Taiz, supporting the city, and breaking its siege represented a basis for preparing subsequent operations. The more open coastal nature of Hodeidah may make fighting towards it easier compared to the mountain fronts, but he links this possibility to securing the military presence near Taiz and achieving an important victory there first.

Thus, control of Kahboub gives Yemeni forces a gain that can be built upon to strengthen the Taiz front and improve conditions for movement on the western coast.

Between the current achievement and the opportunities to come, the ability to stabilize positions and secure links between them remains the decisive factor in transforming superiority at heights into broader results.