Yemen forces retake Mocha, key positions from Houthis
Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces have retaken the strategic port city of Mocha and key positions near the Bab El Mandeb Strait as they push ahead with a major counteroffensive against the Iran-aligned Houthis, the military said.
The military said on Monday its forces had also regained control of the Dhubab district in Taiz governorate and secured important positions near the strategic strait, a key route for global energy supplies.
It said a “strategic offensive” had also been launched against Sanaa, the capital controlled by the Houthis since 2014.
Fighting was reported on several fronts around Mocha, with a number of Houthi fighters killed or wounded and several others captured, according to military sources.
No figures were provided for the casualties.
The Saudi-backed government forces said troops from the Homeland Shield Forces and Giants Brigades had carried out a large-scale operation, supported by air cover, against Houthi positions and movements in several areas of Dhubab, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
An unnamed army source said the forces had advanced and seized key positions, cutting off supply lines and roads leading to Bab El Mandeb.
The source said the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, suffered heavy losses in the clashes, while several military vehicles and other equipment were destroyed or damaged.
Government forces were continuing operations to secure the areas they had retaken and cut Houthi supply routes, the government-aligned Saba news agency reported.
The developments came as the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s government launched an air campaign against the Houthis.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al Maliki said 100 fighter jets were providing air support to Yemeni government forces.
He said the coalition had secured “air protection” over the Bab El Mandeb Strait and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets.
The Houthis captured Mocha in western Taiz governorate during a rapid offensive in September before taking territory around the Bab Al Mandeb Strait.
The group has controlled Sanaa and much of Yemen’s populous northwest since 2014.
The latest escalation comes amid the US-Israeli war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with the Houthis having resumed hostilities against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.