Daijiworld Media Network - Aden

Aden, Oct 5: Yemen's internationally recognised government forces have claimed to have seized control of Dhubab district near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait after launching a "decisive military operation" against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The Yemeni army said forces from the Homeland Shield Forces and the Giants Brigades carried out a large-scale operation targeting Houthi positions and movements in several parts of the district, with air support.

According to a statement carried by Yemen's state news agency SabaNet, government forces advanced and captured key positions, cutting off Houthi supply lines and roads leading towards Bab al-Mandeb.

An unnamed military source said several Houthi fighters were killed or wounded during the clashes, while military equipment was also destroyed or damaged.

Government forces were continuing operations to secure the areas they claimed to have captured and disrupt supply routes to the Houthis, SabaNet reported.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is a strategically important maritime route for international shipping and energy supplies. The latest reported fighting comes amid continued tensions between Yemen's internationally recognised government and the Iran-aligned Houthis.