Yemen government forces strike back against the Houthis

Yemeni military forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but had not yet secured control of the waterway, after the government launched an operation to capture lost territory, sources said yesterday.

The Saudi Arabia-backed government of Yemen last week announced a counteroffensive aimed at retaking all areas held by the Houthis after the pro-Iran group seized Yemen’s entire western coastline in a lightning offensive.

The Houthis confirmed that government forces had attacked in the Bab al-Mandab area, but they said they had repelled the assault.

A Houthi soldier stands guard in Sana’a on Friday.

Photo: EPA

“Saudi-led forces attempted to advance from the Ras al-Ara area in Lahj governorate towards the area south of Bab al-Mandab,” said Hizam al-Asad, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau. “However, our forces repelled them outside the Bab al-Mandab zone, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and forcing the survivors to retreat,”

On Friday a Yemeni military source told reporters that its forces had launched a “major operation” in the strait region, supported by air power from Saudi Arabia.