Yemeni government forces said they have âÂÂneutralisedâ 1,860 Houthi fighters since launching a large-scale counter-offensive to retake territory under control of the rebel group.
The spokesperson for the internationally recognised governmentâÂÂs army said in a social media post early on Thursday local time that they carried out 2,103 âÂÂprecise targeting operationsâ against Houthi military positions across several fronts as part of the ongoing âÂÂDawn of Yemenâ operation.
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Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of YemenâÂÂs Presidential Leadership Council, announced on Sunday the âÂÂDawn of Yemenâ operation to retake all Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa, which the Iran-backed group has controlled since 2014.
Battles in Yemen have focused in recent days on areas around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a shipping route that has become more crucial for energy exports since the conflict between the US and Iran restricted trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
Forces aligned with the Yemeni government launched an operation on Tuesday to capture strategic territory near the strait and around the city of Mocha, which the Houthis had captured in September.
Coalition targeting
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Wednesday it destroyed 82 Houthi military targets in the Yemeni governorates of Saada, Hodeidah, al-Jawf and Marib.
The spokesperson for the coalition said in a statement the targets included ballistic missile sites including âÂÂ11 mountain-based ballistic missile storages in Saada, command and control centres, communication systems, missile and weapons storagesâÂÂ.
The new operation followed Houthi attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, according to the spokesperson.
Saudi ArabiaâÂÂs civil aviation authority said the attacks on the two airports killed three people.
One person was killed and eight wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport, and two were killed and 28 wounded in an attack on facilities at Abha airport, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement.