Saudi-backed Yemeni forces expel Houthis from several areas around key strait, officials say

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi-led coalition forces are fighting Yemen have reconquered several key areas around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait Iran-backed Houthi rebelsYemeni officials said Monday, as the Houthis claimed attacks on Saudi oil installations, airports and military bases as fighting intensified on Yemen’s west coast.

Yemeni officials said forces allied with the internationally recognized government have recaptured the crucial town of Dhubab, just north of the strait, a vital shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

They also captured the towns of Bab and Hadeid, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. Witnesses reported seeing tanks and government forces entering towns.

This government initiative is part of a major offensive launched early Monday under air cover by a Saudi military coalition.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a pre-recorded statement that the rebels used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and an oil refinery in the Red Sea city of Rabigh.

Abha airport, military installations in Khamis Mushait and other “critical sites” in the towns of Najran and Jizan were also attacked, he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the Saudi-backed government was expected to retaliate against rebels to reclaim territory. Asked whether the coalition had coordinated action with the United States, Rubio said Saudi Arabia and the United States had a defense agreement, but would not elaborate.

Since the Yemeni government was ousted from part of its territory by the Houthis and the Saudis were attacked, “they have the right to defend themselves,” Rubio said.

US Embassy in Riyadh warns of possible attacks

The United States has provided support to Saudi Arabia in its ongoing campaign against the Houthis, according to a regional official and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. The support included intelligence sharing, target identification and offensive planning, the officials said.

The United States had supported the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis at the start of Yemen’s war, before leaving the coalition in recent years.

The US Embassy in Riyadh warned US citizens on social media to be vigilant for possible drone or missile attacks.

The offensive came just after rebels said they had conquered more territory in the southwestern part of Yemen, capturing a key town, a blow to Saudi-backed forces as they advanced. towards a strategic provincial capital in the region.

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said 100 fighter jets were providing support to government forces. He said the coalition had provided “air protection” of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets.

Pakistan and Turkey announce they will deploy forces to Saudi Arabia

Also on Monday, the foreign and defense ministers of Pakistan and Turkey agreed with Saudi Arabia to deploy military forces in the kingdom under their leadership. defense pact.

A joint statement issued by Pakistan’s foreign ministry after an emergency meeting in Riyadh did not specify the number of troops, identify countries that would contribute forces or give a deployment timetable.

The three countries condemned what they described as attempted attacks on Mecca and Medina, as well as continued attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic installations. The statement did not identify the person responsible.

Air campaign follows fall of key Yemen city

THE escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis reignited Yemen’s civil war after a four-year ceasefire.

The Houthis captured the town of Turbah on Sunday. Turbah is located on a main road connecting the provincial capital of Taiz to the port city of Aden, which serves as the interim headquarters of Yemen’s government. Over the years, the city has been a major post for government forces defending Taiz.

Earlier, the Houthis had seized several villages and areas on the outskirts of Taiz, paving the way for rebels to encircle Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.

Yemen’s surge in violence shows capabilities of Iran-backed rebels

The Houthis carried out a rapid offensive on the country’s west coast, along the Red Sea, in early September. They captured the strategic city of Mokha and several islands in the Red Sea, gains that allowed them to control the Yemeni part of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which 12% of world trade passes.

The Saudi-backed government announced on Sunday that it was mobilizing troops in government-controlled areas.

Rashad al-Alimi, head of the ruling Presidential Council, said in a televised speech that the operations were aimed at “recovering the remaining territories” controlled by the Houthis. He called on the international community to support his government.

Hours after al-Alimi’s statement, Saudi military spokesman al-Malki pledged “full operational support” to Yemeni government forces until the Houthis are “eliminated.”

Saudi-backed government forces attempt to fight back

Al-Alimi said in an article on

Al-Nazili said government forces were carrying out a “strategic offensive” on Sanaa. The Houthis’ media office reported several airstrikes on their territories, including in Sanaa.

The rebels’ capture of Turbah will likely limit the ability of government forces to reinforce and resupply front-line positions in Taiz province and the provincial capital, Taiz, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

Escalation has reignited 12 years of civil war in Yemen

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis descended from their northern stronghold, seizing Sanaa and forcing the government into exile in Saudi Arabia. The war caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters and killed more than 150,000 people.

THE latest episode of violence killed at least 959 people and injured more than 4,200 others, according to the World Health Organization. The surge in violence has forced around 174,097 people to flee their homes in Yemen, according to the United Nations migration agency. More than 3,000 others crossed the waters to reach Djibouti, the agency reported.

Last week, Yemen’s Health Ministry – part of the internationally recognized government – ​​warned of the impact of the conflict on health facilities and medical staff in Taiz province. The ministry said in a statement Friday that health facilities in the coastal, western and southern areas of the province have closed or are only partially operating.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.