Security tensions in Yemen were reflected in mutual statements by the sides over clashes in al-Bayda and maritime security in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The Yemeni army announced that the Houthis had suffered heavy losses in attacks targeting four districts in al-Bayda province in central Yemen.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zubai said the Houthis were escalating tensions along the country’s western coast and in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Al-Zubai said this situation threatened international maritime traffic.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, in a written statement, claimed that Saudi Arabia had carried out 129 airstrikes on the cities of Taiz, Marib, Hudaydah, al-Jawf, Saada, Amran and Hajjah over the previous 48 hours.
Yemeni Prime Minister Sha'i Muhsin al-Zindani also described the Houthis’ recent capture of various areas as part of Iran’s policy of seeking to threaten regional and international security through Yemen.