7 Houthis killed in clashes near Bab el-Mandeb Strait - official

Seven Houthi members, including a senior commander, were killed in clashes near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in southwestern Yemen, the Yemeni government said on Saturday.

In a post on US social media company X, Deputy Information Minister Abdulbasit al-Qaedi said Houthi commander Firaq Mohsen al-Assar and six of his aides were killed on the Kahboub front.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the statement, but activists close to the group mourned al-Assar, without providing details about the circumstances of his death.

In recent days, the Kahboub front, which includes mountains overlooking Bab el-Mandeb, is said to have seen fierce clashes between government forces and the Houthis.

Yemen has been locked in a civil war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Since early July, fighting has intensified between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis on several fronts in Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz, Lahj and Al-Bayda provinces, after years of relative calm. The group has claimed making advances in recent days and has also targeted Saudi energy infrastructure.