Yemen government forces say Houthi ‘members, vehicles’ targeted in Mocha

Yemeni government forces say they have launched air strikes on Houthi fighters along the Red Sea coast after the group seized full control of the strategic shoreline.

The country witnessed a sharp military escalation across several fronts on Saturday, particularly along the country’s western coast, as fighting continued with government forces describing the confrontation as a “battle for survival”.

Yemen’s government news agency, Saba, reported that “the armed forces destroyed vehicles and weapons and killed members of the Houthi terrorist militia backed by the Iranian regime” near the port of the city of Mocha.

The spokesperson for the government forces, Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, said they have also struck the Houthis’ “vehicles and members” on the Mocha-Dhubab road, 11km (7 miles) from the city, according to Saba.

The Houthis captured the city of Mocha on Thursday and the island of Mayun on Friday, completing their hold on the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a narrow waterway vital to global oil shipping.

Saudi Arabia has temporarily closed its critical East-West oil pipeline, a 1,200km (746-mile) conduit stretching across the Arabian Peninsula, after it was attacked by drones on Friday.

The drones were reported to have been launched from Iraq, where an investigation is under way. No group has claimed responsibility for the strikes so far.

Iraq’s parliament speaker, Haybat al-Halbousi, condemned the use of Iraqi territory for the attack, calling it “unacceptable” and out of step with the country’s policies and its relations with neighbouring states.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman telephoned President Donald Trump twice last week, asking for United States air strikes on the Houthis but was turned down both times, US media outlet Axios earlier reported.

After arriving in Dublin on a two-day visit on Saturday, Trump said the Houthis have asked Washington not to intervene.

“The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump said. “They don’t want us to go after them.”

The head of US Central Command, which oversees American forces across the Middle East, is now in Saudi Arabia for talks on the advances, a source told Al Jazeera.