ADEN // At least 55 Houthis have been killed and 72 others wounded in two days of fierce fighting between Yemeni forces and the Iran-backed rebels near the strategic Bab Al Mandeb strait, military officials said on Sunday.
Government forces launched an assault on Saturday to recapture the coastal Dhubab district, just 30 kilometres north of Bab Al Mandeb which links the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Clashes since Saturday have also killed 13 loyalists forces, including an army general, said Brigadier General Abdul Aziz Al Majidi, a commander loyal to the internationally recognised government.
Landmines planted by the rebels have slowed down the advance of government forces, military officials said.
Taking control of Dhubab, in the Yemeni province of Taez, is strategically important as it will accelerate the liberation of the port city of Mokha just 46km away.
It will also help the Saudi-led coalition secure all of the Yemeni coastline along the Red Sea.
The operation is part of the efforts to protect the Bab Al Mandeb waterway, a vital corridor for global trade, and pre-empt future threats posed by Houthis and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The latest advance by the army represents a fresh step towards protecting and securing Yemeni ports on the Red Sea that are being used by rebel militias to smuggle weapons.
The government and its allies from the Arab coalition recaptured Bab Al Mandeb in October 2015, pushing the rebels further north where they continue to pose a threat to international shipping.
In September and October, two US warships and a UAE vessel contracted to the coalition were targeted by missile fire from rebel-held territory.
Pro-government troops seized Dhubab in early October 2015, but the rebels managed to recapture the area in February.
* Agence France-Presse and Wam
