13 Yemen government forces killed in clashes with Houthis

DUBAI: At least 13 Yemeni government forces were killed in clashes with Houthi fighters on Thursday, a military source told AFP, saying the group was trying to advance towards areas bordering the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

The Iran-backed Houthis launched a broad offensive along frontlines on the western Red Sea coast, in a bid “to advance toward Bab al-Mandab and areas held by government forces”, he said.

“According to an initial toll, 13 government troops — including two officers — were killed,” the source said, requesting anonymity.

The Bab al-Mandab strait is the chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, a key maritime route for Saudi oil exports and other global trade.

Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, in July became the latest country to become embroiled in the Middle East war as the Houthis upended a 2022 truce with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

The rebels welcomed an Iranian plane to Yemen’s capital Sanaa, setting off a spate of attacks. They later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships and territory.

Another military source said most of those killed on Thursday were on the frontlines between the government-held coastal city of Mokha and the inland city of Taiz, while the others died in clashes near the Red Sea coast.

He said the Houthis were trying to sever the route connecting Taiz and Mokha to cut off the port city, which has come under relentless attack in the past month.

Official news agency Saba also reported “fierce fighting” between government forces and the Iran-backed group west of Taiz, as well as reporting Houthi missile and drone fire.

Saba reported “sustained escalation by the Houthi terrorist militia across several battlefronts west of Taiz and along the West Coast”.