Yemeni gov't launches airstrikes on Houthi positions near Bab al-Mandab Strait

Yemeni government warplanes struck Houthi-held areas in the western provinces of Hodeidah and Taiz on Friday, backing ground troops battling a major Houthi offensive near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, a military official told Xinhua.



The airstrikes came as fierce fighting raged across multiple fronts in the two provinces, where Houthi fighters had made rapid advances over the past 24 hours, the official said on condition of anonymity.



The official said the warplanes targeted Houthi positions and movements in areas of active ground combat. Further details on the strikes or casualties were not immediately available.



A Houthi military source confirmed the strikes but attributed them to "Saudi aggression warplanes." Saudi Arabia has yet to comment.



As fighting intensified, Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), vowed on Friday that government forces would block the Houthis from advancing toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.