Yemeni government fighters recorded driving vehicles over Houthi opponents
Video footage has emerged showing Yemeni government forces driving armored vehicles over Houthi fighters during a battle for control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The incident has drawn accusations of war crimes as fighting continues to threaten regional stability and global oil supply chains.
Why it matters
The use of extreme violence in the Yemeni conflict underscores the brutal nature of the ongoing civil war and its continued impact on global energy markets.
Video posted by government forces in Yemen showed them driving armoured cars over opposing fighters as they recaptured areas around the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Iran-backed Houthis on Monday (October 5, 2026) in a deadly new phase of the fragmented country’s war.
The videos gave a glimpse into the brutal closing stages of a pitched battle for control of territory near the strait that the Houthis had captured last month. The Houthi advance sent shockwaves through the oil market and pushed up petrol and diesel prices worldwide.
Fighting continued near Bab el-Mandeb on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) as Saudi-backed government forces battled to consolidate Monday’s counter-attack, besieging Houthi fighters at a military camp near the strait and pushing into hills to the east, Yemeni military sources said.
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