Cairo, Sept 17. (dpa/GNA) – Fighting between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic waterway, is continuing unabated.
Military sources close to government forces told dpa on Thursday, that overnight clashes have been concentrated in the west of Taiz province, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The mountainous province is of strategic importance for control of the coast, which was recently captured by the Houthi rebels.
Government forces managed to halt the Houthis’ advance on two fronts, including with the help of airstrikes, according to the sources.
Dozens of rebels were killed or wounded in the fighting, they said. A Houthi drone was also shot down near the strait.
Houthi media reported airstrikes by Saudi warplanes in the provinces of Taiz and Hajjah. Among the targets were communications towers, according to the reports. The claims by both sides could not initially be independently verified.
About 67,000 people in the Taiz region have been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting, according to the government.
Overall, more than 125,000 people are believed to have been displaced by the fighting since the beginning of the month.
The Iran-aligned Houthi militia seized control of Yemen’s entire western coast in a lightning offensive last week, and captured strategically located islands.
As a result, it now has virtually unrestricted access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The waterway forms part of the main shipping route between Europe and Asia.
GNA