Yemeni government forces seize strategic mountain overlooking Bab el-Mandeb: Official

Yemeni government forces seized a strategic mountain overlooking areas near Bab el-Mandeb after clashes with Houthi fighters, a senior official said Tuesday.

Fayyad Alnoman, assistant undersecretary at Yemen's Information Ministry for television affairs, cited field sources on US social media company X as saying government military forces drove Houthi forces from Jabal Zalat, located behind the Kahbub mountain range in Lahj governorate.

He said the mountain overlooks the Al-Omari area and Bab el-Mandeb, a strategically important waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis suffered heavy losses in personnel and military equipment during the fighting, Alnoman added.

He said control of Jabal Zalat puts the Al-Omari military camp within firing range of government forces, strengthening their positions and increasing military pressure on Houthi-held sites in the area.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthi group on the reports.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks along fronts between Taiz and Lahj provinces. Government forces previously reported taking several highlands in the Kahboub mountain range and launching counteroffensives toward Houthi-held positions in an area commanding routes toward Yemen's western coast, Bab el-Mandeb and Dhubab.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthi group seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.