Yemen's Military Reclaims Strategic Ground Amid Escalating Clashes with Houthi Rebels

Buildings lay in ruins in al-Makha (Mocha), Yemen. The city was retaken from Houthi rebels in early 2017, part of Yemen's Saudi-led coalition-backed military campaign [File: Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images]

Yemen’s army announced they have successfully recaptured strategically important territory as heavy fighting with Houthi rebels persists in the southwestern region of the country. According to a statement released on Friday, Yemeni government forces secured the al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills located in the Jabal Habashi district, west of Taiz city.

The armed confrontations between government troops and Houthi fighters stretched into a second consecutive day across western Taiz and southern Hodeidah. These two vital governorates sit along the Red Sea coast, following a broad offensive initiated by the rebel group along front lines in the area.

A Houthi source informed Al Jazeera that more than 100 combatants have lost their lives from both sides since the offensive began on Thursday. Meanwhile, a Yemeni military official reported to Al Jazeera that 24 government soldiers died near the west coast, and another military official confirmed the deaths of 15 additional troops during clashes in Taiz. In Houthi-controlled territories, medical sources stated that at least 42 fighters were killed.

Additionally, state-run Saba TV reported that several civilians were killed and others sustained injuries when a ballistic missile struck a restaurant situated in the coastal city of al-Makha (Mocha). According to an AFP casualty toll, over 120 people have died across Yemen since the Houthi advance commenced.

Battle for the coast

A Yemeni official based in Aden, the internationally recognised government’s base, told the AFP that the Houthis' primary objective is to seize control of the hills overlooking Bab al-Mandeb and al-Makha prior to launching an attack on the coast. A government military official noted to Al Jazeera that the Houthis have captured various territories since Thursday, primarily in western Taiz, which includes a strategic military base.

Saba reported that government military sources confirmed the arrival of reinforcements designed to counter the Houthi advances throughout western Taiz. Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from the Yemeni capital Sanaa, stated that the overarching goal of the Houthi offensive appears to be securing territory that leads toward the city and the Red Sea port of al-Makha.

Prior to being driven out in 2017 by government forces and the Saudi-led coalition, the Houthis maintained control over the port city of al-Makha, which overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. In July, the rebel group declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.

Mawry further explained that the Houthis intend to utilize Bab al-Mandeb for military strategic calculations, which experts believe could carry significant weight in future conflicts involving Saudi Arabia or Israel.