On December 29, Houthi fighters captured several positions north of the coastal town of Yakhtul in the western Taiz province from the Saudi-led coalition and the their proxies, according to the Yemeni al-Masirah TV.
Yemeni sources reported that the Houthis destroyed 15 vehicles and killed or injured 50 fighters of the Saudi-led coalition north of Yakhtul.
The Houthis’ attacks around Yakhtul are aimed at tightening the siege on the Saudi-led coalition and forces loyal to Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi south of the strategic poort of al-Hudaydah, which is located 150km north of Yakhtul.
From its side, the Saudi-led coalition and pro-Hadi forces repelled an attack of the Houthis on their positions in the town of al-Khawhah 45km north of Yakhtul, according to the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV. The Saudi-led coalition reportedly killed 100 fighters of the Houthis, including a commander of the attack “Abu Ra’ad”.
The Saudi-led coalition launched a military operation along the western coast of Yemen to capture the al-Hudaydah port at the begning of December and managed to capture al-Khawhah town on December 7. Since then, the Saudi-led coalition has faced major setbacks and has still been unable to secure its supply lines along the western coast.
