Dozens killed as fighting rages at Yemen’s Red Sea strait

Since Monday, fighters aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized President Abed Rabu Mansour Hadi have been making advances and seizing more territory from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the officials said.

Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition provided air cover for Hadi’s forces, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The battles are part of the so-called Golden Spear operation launched by the coalition and Hadi’s government and aimed at uprooting Houthis and allied forces from the western coast, starting from the strait of Bab al-Mandab and extending to the vital Red Sea ports of Mokha and Hodeida.

The coalition has come under heavy criticism by international rights groups for carrying out attacks against civilians including schools, markets, hospitals and residential areas.