Saudi-Backed Yemeni Forces Claim Gains Near Bab el-Mandeb
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said Monday they had captured key positions in Dhubab district near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during a new offensive against the Iran-aligned Houthis.
Three military sources and a government source told Reuters that government forces had taken large parts of Dhubab with heavy air support from a Saudi-led coalition. Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the forces had secured effective control of the strait, although another government source said fighting continued at a nearby military base.
Government military officials also said their forces had seized Dhubab’s airstrip, cut roads and Houthi supply lines, and begun securing captured areas. The Houthis denied that government forces had advanced, and the battlefield claims could not be independently verified.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets …