Government sources told Reuters forces reached Mocha and the defence ministry said the city had fallen. A Houthi spokesman called the reports fabricated and said the group still held its gains.
Yemen's internationally recognised government said its forces had retaken the Red Sea port of Mocha and nearby ground around the Bab al-Mandeb from the Houthis. Four government sources told Reuters that troops backed by Saudi air strikes reached the outskirts of Mocha on Monday as Houthi fighters moved toward the highlands. The defence ministry later said the city had fallen.
Bloomberg, citing state-run Saba, reported the Mocha claim on Monday and said forces had also taken areas including Dhubab. The Houthis seized Mocha and nearby coast in September. A Houthi military spokesman said on Tuesday that the group remained in control of its battlefield gains and described opponents' reports as fabricated heroics.
The Bab al-Mandeb is a main route between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Al Jazeera said the Houthis had claimed attacks on airports, oil sites and military positions in Saudi Arabia as the counteroffensive continued. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said 100 fighter jets were supporting the Yemeni government push.
Control of the port was not independently confirmed in the accounts reviewed. The two sides gave incompatible descriptions of who held Mocha on Tuesday.
No ceasefire proposal accompanied the claims. The next reported objective of the government campaign is further ground around the strait.
People Sentiments Negative
- A Houthi military spokesman called government reports of recaptured ground fabricated heroics.