Dozens dead in Yemen infighting

Yemen's government and the Houthis engaged in deadly clashes on Thursday, sources from both sides said, as a military source accused the rebels of seeking to advance towards the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

The two Yemeni military sources said 13 government forces had been killed, with one of them saying two officers were among the casualties. A military source close to the Houthis said at least 11 rebels had been killed.

Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict. A Yemeni military source told AFP on Thursday, the Houthis launched a broad offensive along frontlines on the western Red Sea coast, in a bid "to advance towards Bab al-Mandab and areas held by government forces".

A second Yemeni government military source said the group was attempting to close in on the port city of Mokha, on the Red Sea, which has come under repeated attack in the past weeks, by severing the route connecting it to Taiz, further inland.

Most of the dead were killed on the frontlines between Mokha and Taiz, while the others died in clashes near the Red Sea coast, the source added. The Yemeni government and the Houthis have not yet issued official death tolls.

Fierce fighting

Official news agency Saba reported "fierce fighting" between government forces and the rebels west of Taiz, as well as reporting Houthi missile and drone fire. Saba reported "sustained escalation by the Houthi terrorist militia across several battlefronts west of Taiz and along the West Coast".

The Houthis do not control the coastal areas bordering Bab al-Mandab, but they hold the key port city of Hodeida north of Mokha and have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea in past weeks. They also disrupted the strait with attacks on passing vessels after the Gaza war broke out in 2023.

Last month, Yemen's information minister Moammar al-Eryani warned that the Houthis were plotting to seize land along the Bab al-Mandab strait, which would allow them to further threaten the vital shipping artery.