Yemeni forces took full control of the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha on Friday (February 10th) after weeks of deadly fighting with the Houthis and their allies, AFP reported.
"We have done with the battle of Mokha," armed forces spokesman Mohammed al-Naqib said, adding that the Houthis (Ansarallah) had been forced to flee the town.
Another military source confirmed that Yemeni forces were in "full control".
The Houthis had put up fierce resistance in the town, where 24 Houthi fighters and eight members of the Yemeni forces were killed in fighting on Wednesday alone.
Yemeni forces had already taken Mokha's docks earlier this month, but there was heavy fighting in other parts of the town before the Houthis withdrew north towards the main Red Sea port city of al-Hodeida, which they still control.
"We are now preparing for the second phase of the battle for the coast, which is to advance towards al-Hodeida," the Yemeni forces spokesman said.
Before the government launched its offensive on January 7th, the Houthis controlled virtually all of Yemen's 450-kilometre Red Sea coastline.
