ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government forces said Friday evening they had begun shelling Houthi positions inside a designated combat zone along the country's western coast, seeking to counter the group's territorial gains extending to the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In a statement on social media platform X, military spokesperson Majid al-Nuzaili said government forces had begun strikes inside what the military previously described as a "kill zone," without immediately providing details on the targets and casualties.
The strikes came a day after the military designated an area around the Taiz-Mocha road as a combat zone, warning that Houthi troops moving within the marked area would come under attack.
The Houthis have yet to comment on the government forces' announcement.
The shelling follows major battlefield setbacks for government forces. After seizing the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, Houthi forces pushed south into Dhubab and took Mayun Island on Friday, consolidating their presence around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Mayun, also known as Perim, lies in the middle of Bab al-Mandab, dividing the strategic waterway into two channels. The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and forms a critical maritime route between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.
The latest fighting marks one of the sharpest escalations since a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of the country's north. ■
