1st Oct 2015 12:55
Sana'a (Alliance News) - Forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi, backed by a Saudi-led military alliance, Thursday regained the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait from Iran-backed rebels, a military official said.
Unspecified casualties occurred on both sides, the official added, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
There was no immediate comment from rebels.
Houthi rebels and allied forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh seized Bab al-Mandab and Mayoun in south-western Yemen around six months ago as part of their sweep across the impoverished country.
Bab al-Mandeb is a major waterway between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Retaking the waterway would strengthen Hadi loyalists, who are advancing on the rebel-held Taiz, Yemen's third largest city.
In March, Saudi Arabia and fellow Sunni allies launched an air campaign in Yemen against the mostly Shiite rebels, who drove Hadi into exile.
In recent months, pro-Hadi forces made territorial gains in southern Yemeni.
The rebels still control other parts of Yemen, including the capital Sana'a.
Copyright dpa