Yemen fighting intensifies as government forces retake key areas near Bab el-Mandeb

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have recaptured several key areas near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemeni officials said Monday.

It comes as the Houthis claimed attacks on Saudi oil facilities, airports and military bases as fighting escalated on Yemen’s western coast.

Earlier, the Houthis seized several villages and areas on Taiz's outskirts, paving the way for the rebels to encircle Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.

Houthis seized the town of Turbah on Sunday. Turbah sits on a main road linking the provincial capital of Taiz with the port city of Aden, which serves as an interim seat of Yemen's government.

Over the years, the town was a major post for government forces defending Taiz.

Video from Sky News showed military vehicles and fighters around the city of Taiz, as families of women and small children packed up supplies and evacuated.

The Yemeni officials said forces allied with the internationally recognized government retook the crucial town of Dhubab just north of the strait, a vital shipping route that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

They also captured the towns of Bab and Hadeid, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Witnesses said they saw government tanks and forces entering the towns.

The government push came as part of a major offensive launched early Monday under air cover by a Saudi military coalition.

The escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has revived Yemen’s civil war after a four-year ceasefire.