Yemeni government forces repel Houthi attack on route to Aden — Jerusalem Post

In Yemen, Saudi-backed government forces repelled a nighttime Houthi attack on the Hijjat al-Abd mountain pass, a key supply route to the southern port city of Aden. The country’s internationally recognized administration is based there, the Jerusalem Post reports, citing government sources.

Route to Taiz and Aden

The winding mountain road through Hijjat al-Abd is important for forces fighting on the side of the Yemeni government. It is also used to deliver goods to Taiz, the country’s third-largest city, as well as to rural areas in southern and western Yemen.

The road is the only route for residents seeking to leave the country, as no commercial flights operate from Houthi-controlled territories.

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Escalation of hostilities

The Houthis continue to pressure government troops, seeking to consolidate gains after an offensive along Yemen’s western coast that began nearly two weeks ago. Capturing sections of the Taiz–Aden road could strengthen their control around Taiz and further weaken the government’s position, which lost the initiative after losing the western coast.

According to the publication, fighting has resumed in recent weeks along several former front lines, including near Taiz. The Houthis captured the port of Mocha and subsequently the rest of the Red Sea coast and islands, extending their control to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

According to the UN, more than 700 people have been killed in the latest escalation, and thousands have been injured. Nearly 130,000 Yemenis have been displaced within the country, while more than 3,000 others fled by boat across the Red Sea to Africa.