Houthis advance on Aden as govt bolsters city defences

Yemen's Houthis were advancing on the interim seat of the internationally recognised government on Sunday, positioned just 60 kilometres from Aden, sources told AFP, as government forces rushed to defend the city. Houthis advance on Aden as govt bolsters city defencesFour military sources within government forces and two government sources said the Houthis had seized control of two districts in Lahj province and were moving towards Aden.

They said the Houthis were positioned at the Al-Kharaz camp in Al-Madariba, 60 kilometres from the city. The Houthis, who control most of northwest Yemen the country's most populous region have been battling the Saudi-backed government for territory for more than a decade.

In recent weeks they have made major gains on the ground, seizing the Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive, while launching regular attacks on Saudi Arabia. Yemen's government on Sunday said it was redeploying its forces from areas near the Red Sea to reinforce troops "where current circumstances require", with securing Aden and nearby provinces taking priority.

Military officials told AFP on Friday that government forces had begun erecting sandbag defences and digging tunnels around Aden as the Houthis pressed southwards. Four military sources confirmed the withdrawal from Red Sea areas after the Houthis advanced along the coast of Lahj province, which lies between the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait and Aden.

The Houthis have also seized the mountainous region of Al-Maqatirah, through which runs the main road connecting Aden to Taiz, which has been under Houthi siege for weeks. Government forces said Sunday they would "continue operations aimed at breaking the siege of Taiz".

The Houthis have taken control of strategic positions in the Al-Maqatira district and large parts of Al-Madariba and Al-Arah, the largest districts in Lahj province in southwestern Yemen, officials told AFP. They have repeatedly attacked the city of Aden in recent weeks, including an assault on October 15 that targeted the presidential palace and left four people dead, according to government military sources.

The Iran-backed group previously launched an unsuccessful bid to seize Aden early in the war in 2015. On Sunday a Houthi missile attack killed eight people near the city, sources told AFP. Twelve others were wounded in the attack on a checkpoint in Lahj province, according to military and government sources, who requested anonymity.

Even as fighting raged, the Houthis on Sunday released 600 members of government forces held since hostilities resumed in July, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross . The Houthis called the release a humanitarian initiative and accused their adversaries of failing to make reciprocal moves.

They said it was "the largest unilateral prisoner release and pardon operation in the history of the conflict".