Yemeni gov't forces say they repelled Houthi attack near Bab el-Mandeb

Yemeni government forces said Saturday they had thwarted a Houthi attack north of Dhubab Airport near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in southwestern Yemen.

In a statement on US social media company X, the Giants Brigades said they also inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis in personnel and equipment, without providing further details.

The repelling of the attack coincided with the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements, according to the statement.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the statement.

The escalation comes amid a wave of clashes in Yemen that began in July, marking the most extensive fighting since a period of relative calm following a truce that took effect in April 2022.

Yemen has been engulfed in war since the Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government.