44 killed in clashes between Yemeni gov't forces, Houthis near Bab al-Mandab: sources

SANAA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 44 people from Yemen's government forces and the Houthi group were killed and several others wounded in fierce clashes on Monday in the southern province of Lahj near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, two military sources from the opposing sides told Xinhua.

The fighting erupted after Houthi forces launched an offensive against government-held mountainous positions in Al-Madaribah wa Ras Al-Arah district, a rugged area overlooking approaches to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, early Monday, according to a government military official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said the Houthis initially captured several positions after hours of intense fighting before government forces brought in reinforcements and launched a counterattack.

"We managed to push them back from the positions they had seized," the official said, adding that 28 Houthi fighters were killed and several others wounded during the fighting.

Warplanes also carried out several airstrikes against Houthi positions, gatherings and military vehicles in the area in support of government forces, the official said, without identifying the aircraft involved.

Also on Monday, a Houthi military source, speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, said Houthi fighters killed 16 government soldiers and wounded several others during the fighting in Lahj.

"We advanced despite the heavy airstrikes," the Houthi source said, insisting that the group remained in positions captured earlier in the day.

Separately, Majid al-Nuzaili, a spokesperson for the government forces, said in a statement on social media platform X that government forces had conducted 356 "precise targeting operations" against Houthi reinforcements, positions and military capabilities across multiple fronts over the previous 24 hours.

Fighting has intensified across southwestern Yemen recently after the group seized the strategic port city of Mocha and Mayyun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait earlier this month.

Yemen's conflict began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.