Yemeni government forces advance against Houthis around Bab al-Mandab strait
Military sources of Yemen's internationally recognised government say their forces are advancing against the Houthis around the Bab al-Mandab strait but have not yet taken control of it. The Houthis claim they repelled the assault.
Yemeni government military sources said on Saturday that their forces are advancing against the Houthi movement in areas around the Bab al-Mandab strait, though they have not yet secured control of this key waterway. The Houthis are an Iran-aligned armed group fighting Yemen's Saudi-backed government. The operation is part of a counter-offensive announced last week with the aim of recapturing all territory held by the Houthis.
Conflicting claims
The Houthis confirmed that government forces attacked in the Bab al-Mandab area but said the assault was repelled. Hizam al-Asad, a member of the Houthi political bureau, told AFP that Saudi-led forces tried to advance from the Ras al-Ara area in Lahj governorate towards the zone south of the strait, but were stopped outside it with heavy losses. He said the Houthis hold the strait, Mayun Island and the rest of the country's western coast. Government military sources also acknowledged that Mayun Island, in the middle of the strait, remains in Houthi hands. Neither side's claims can be independently verified, as the situation is changing quickly and journalists have difficulty gaining access.
Casualties and air strikes
Military sources from both sides told AFP that clashes in western Yemen, mainly around the strait, killed at least 63 people in the past 24 hours: 35 government force members and 28 Houthis. On Friday a Yemeni military source confirmed the launch of a "major operation" in the strait area, backed by Saudi air power. The Saudi-led coalition said early on Saturday that it had destroyed more than 130 Houthi targets in a "large-scale operation". The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel reported four Saudi strikes on the international airport of Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital.
Renewed conflict
After four years of relative calm, Yemen's civil war reignited in July, and the Houthis seized the country's entire western coastline. The group is also firing drones and missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia, including transport hubs, oil facilities and other civilian sites. Riyadh said on Friday that attacks on the Saudi capital's international airport the previous day had killed three people. According to UN data, more than 200,000 people have been displaced since July.