Yemen clashes kill 81, Houthis push towards Bab al-Mandab

Clashes between Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces have killed at least 81 people as the Iran-backed rebels push towards territory near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, military and medical sources said on Friday.

Fighting began on Thursday after the Houthis launched a ground offensive alongside rocket and drone attacks near Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

The rebels are seeking to strengthen their position around the narrow waterway at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

Military sources told AFP that the offensive is aimed at cutting off the government-held port city of Mokha, which has been under attack for weeks, and advancing towards areas bordering Bab al-Mandab.

The Houthis have seized elevated positions overlooking government forces near the Red Sea, the coastal town of Khokha and Taiz further inland, according to military and local officials. The positions could allow the rebels to target ships passing through the area.

A military official said 24 government troops were killed on the coast, while another official reported 15 deaths in the Taiz area. Medical sources in Houthi-controlled areas said at least 42 Houthi fighters were also killed.

The government has sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden following orders from Saudi Arabia, according to a Yemeni official.

Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean and is a major global shipping route. Its importance has increased after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted oil shipments from the Gulf.

The Houthis do not control territory directly bordering Bab al-Mandab but hold the key port city of Hodeida, north of Mokha.

The latest offensive follows the collapse in July of a fragile truce between the Houthis and the government. The breakdown came after the rebels welcomed an Iranian plane to Sanaa, followed by renewed attacks.

The Houthis later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began targeting Saudi ships and territory, further drawing Yemen’s long-running civil conflict into the wider West Asia war.