Yemen govt forces claim gains against Houthis near key waterway

Smoke rises following a reported Saudi-led coalition airstrike on the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sanaa earlier on Friday. (AFP pic) RIYADH: Yemeni military sources told AFP on Saturday their forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas around the Bab al-Mandab strait but have not yet secured control of the waterway, after the government launched an operation to recapture lost territory.

The Saudi-backed government last week announced a counter-offensive 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 claimed to have repelled the assault.

Sources from the military of Yemen's internationally recognised government also said Mayun Island in the heart of the strait remained in Houthi hands as fighting continued.

Clashes in western Yemen, specifically around the strait, had killed at least 63 people in the past 24 hours, military sources from both sides told AFP on Saturday.

Thirty-five members of government forces had been killed, while 28 Houthis had died, the sources said.

Claims by the warring parties have been impossible to independently verify, with the situation moving fast on the ground and access for journalists difficult.

On Friday a Yemeni military source within the government confirmed to AFP that their forces had launched a "major operation" in the strait region, supported by air power from Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's government.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Telegram that the Houthis had succeeded in "driving back the Saudi-aligned troop concentrations that attempted to advance from the direction of Lahj towards Bab al-Mandab".

After four years of relative calm, Yemen's civil war reignited in July before the Houthi gains on Yemen's western coastline.

Saudi Arabia leads an international military coalition helping the Yemeni government fight the Houthis.

Early on Saturday the coalition said it had destroyed more than 130 Houthi targets in a "large-scale operation".

The Houthis' Al-Masirah TV channel reported on Saturday that Saudi strikes had targeted the Bab al-Mandab area.

In addition to battling Yemeni government forces on the ground, the Houthis have also been firing on targets inside Saudi Arabia, attacking transport hubs, oil facilities and other civilian targets with drones and missiles.

Riyadh said Friday that attacks on the Saudi capital's international airport had killed three people the previous day.

Saudi Arabia has been retaliating with strikes on key Houthi targets inside Yemen. Houthi media on Friday reported two people had died in attacks on the airport in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.

Ordinary civilians have been paying the price for the renewed fighting in one of the world's poorest countries, with more than 200,000 people displaced since July, according to UN data.