Fighting between Yemen's pro-government forces and Houthi rebels has killed more than 80 people in two days, both sides said Friday, after the Iran-backed rebels launched an offensive near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, a vital route linking Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal.
Government sources say the rebels are trying to cut off the port city of Mokha from government-held territory © Mena Today
Fighting between Yemen's pro-government forces and Houthi rebels has killed more than 80 people in two days, both sides said Friday, after the Iran-backed rebels launched an offensive near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, a vital route linking Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal.
The Houthis launched a ground offensive Thursday, backed by rockets and drones, near the Red Sea coast and the inland region of Taiz. Military officials reported 24 government fighters killed near the coast and 15 in Taiz, while medical sources in Houthi-held areas put rebel losses at over 42. Neither side has given an official toll.
Government sources say the rebels are trying to cut off the port city of Mokha from government-held territory, after seizing high ground overlooking Red Sea positions and Taiz, terrain that could let them target shipping.
The government has sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden, mobilized at Saudi Arabia's request.
The strait is increasingly vital for Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, since Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz when the regional war began in February. In July, the Houthis vowed to blockade Saudi shipping and have since claimed several tanker attacks in the Red Sea.
Yemen's war, which raged from 2014 to 2022 between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis, reignited in July after strikes attributed to Riyadh hit Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport, following an unauthorized Iranian flight there.
Loud booms were heard on Tuesday night near the headquarters of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, the world's largest and the backbone of the kingdom's economy, in Dhahran, six sources told Reuters, amid an escalating war between Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition.
Iran is stepping up attempts to hit harder targets such as military sites in Britain and Russia is increasing its hybrid warfare against Ukraine's allies, the UK's domestic spy chief said on Tuesday.
A Saudi-led coalition urged civilians on Tuesday to evacuate the Yemen Oil Company's Sabah central station in the capital Sanaa ahead of a planned military operation.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
