Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia said they seized positions near Bab al-Mandeb and Taiz. Saudi aviation authorities said missiles hit Jazan and Najran airports, wounding three people.
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said they had taken strategic ground near the Bab al-Mandeb strait from the Houthis as fighting intensified on the western coast, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday, citing AP and Reuters.
Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi has described the operation, announced on Sunday as Dawn of Yemen, as aimed at retaking remaining Houthi-held territory, including Sanaa. Government sources told Reuters that forces reached the outskirts of Mocha on Monday as Houthi fighters pulled toward the highlands.
Government forces said they had taken the al-Manzara, al-Ashari and Dhiban mountains in Haifan, south of Taiz, and claimed control of Mocha and Dhubab. Those claims come from government and coalition statements and have not been independently mapped in the reports cited here.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz airport in Jazan and Najran international airport were targeted on Monday evening, causing three minor injuries. Houthi claims of further strikes on Riyadh, Rabigh, Abha and Khamis Mushait had not drawn a Saudi comment in the Al Jazeera account.
NPR's Tuesday morning programme also reported a Saudi offensive against the Houthis and Yemeni government claims of gains near the Red Sea. Shipping through Bab al-Mandeb remains the economic stake both sides are contesting.