Yemen: Yemeni Gov’t Forces Launch Airstrikes on Houthi Positions

Aden – Yemeni sources reported on Saturday that government forces launched a series of airstrikes on Houthi positions in the southern Yemeni cities of Mocha and Dhubab, after the group seized control of them.

The sources said the airstrikes targeted Houthi vehicles at dawn on Saturday, hours after similar raids hit Mocha airport and its port.

They added that the Houthis had begun looting weapons depots and transporting their contents by truck to the governorates of Hodeidah and Hajjah.

The sources said the Houthis have completed their control over the Yemeni coastline on the Red Sea, in addition to all the islands belonging to Hodeidah Governorate.

Hodeidah includes more than 40 islands, among them five strategic islands that were under government control before the Houthis seized them.

Kamaran is the largest island in Hodeidah Governorate, and sources said the Houthis have turned it into a military base where experts from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are stationed.

Raids and Arrests

In a related development, residents of the city of Mocha reported that the Houthis raided and looted hundreds of homes, and abducted dozens of residents, imprisoning them on charges of opposing the group in recent times.

Residents confirmed that the looting extended to the districts of Hays and Khokha, south of Hodeidah Governorate.

Over the past few days, clashes have erupted in various parts of Yemen between the Houthi group and government forces.

The fighting, concentrated in southwestern Yemen, has resulted in the deaths of hundreds in recent days and forced many families to flee their homes.