Government forces in Yemen now control the key Bab al-Mandab Strait through which much of the world’s maritime traffic passes after retaking it from the Houthis, Yemeni military officials and a general involved in the offensive said on Friday.
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Yemen’s prime minister visited an area leading to the Bab al-Mandab strait, the strategic southern entrance to the Red Sea and the gateway to the Suez Canal, after anti-rebel forces pushed Shiite rebels out of the immediate area, government spokesman Rajeh Badi said Saturday.
The Saudi coalition says that it has seized an Iranian fishing boat carrying weapons to Houthi militias in Yemen.
The pro-Hadi units were backed by air support from the Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing Houthi positions and has sent reinforcements from the nearby southern port city of Aden, according to security and military officials, who have remained neutral in the conflict that has splintered the country.
“We managed today to take back Bab al-Mandab and Dhubab with heavy fighting after having received reinforcements from Aden”, Yemen’s second city 150 kilometres (90 miles) to the south, he said.
Residents said on Monday that two missiles tore through tents in the Red Sea village of Al-Wahijah, near the ancient port of Al-Mokha, where a local man affiliated with the Houthi group was holding his wedding reception.
Pro-coalition Yemeni media said the destruction of the Aqd Asfara bridge, 20 km (12 miles) west of Sanaa, was part of the Gulf Arab alliance’s efforts to sever supply routes to the Houthis ahead of a ground advance on the capital.
The Houthis had admitted losing control of the strategic strait.
The Houthis still control the capital and northern provinces near the border with Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has been the target of Saudi military strikes since March 26. Another 1.4 million people have meanwhile been forced to flee their homes.
The conflict in Yemen is commonly viewed as a proxy war between regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran.
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The Dutch-drafted United Nations rights council proposal had called for a full inquiry into violations in Yemen since September 2014.
