Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have entered Yemen's strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, according to two residents, a move that could bring the rebels closer to targeting shipping through a critical waterway to the Red Sea.
Separately, an Israeli strike killed at least four people in northern Gaza, including two children. And a media outlet controlled by the Houthis claims that Saudi-backed forces have launched airstrikes on several areas across Yemen.
Here's a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Yemen's Houthi rebels enter strategic port city, residents say
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have entered Yemen's strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, two local residents told The Associated Press on Thursday.
If confirmed, the development is significant because taking the city would put the Houthis closer to their goal of targeting shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb, a crucial waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Mokha was long held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government. A takeover of the port by the Houthis would be a major blow to the government forces.
A resident of the port city, Amin al-Mohammdi, said the Houthis have entered Mokha and fanned out across various street intersections. All roads from the west coast leading to Mokha have been closed, and shops were shut in the city, he said. Another resident of the city, Mohamed Salem, reported seeing vehicles belonging to Houthi forces in the streets.
The AP couldn’t independently verify that claim, but the Houthis have been trying to close in on Mokha amid the ongoing escalation with the government forces.
— By Ahmed Haj in Aden, Yemen
Houthis make advances in the western Taiz province
Yemen's Houthi rebels have fought a civil war with the country's internationally recognized government that started in 2014.
The Houthis have recently made advances in the western province of Taiz, where Mokha is located, according to Ahmed al-Mawazi, a trooper with the Yemeni armed forces, and Abdel Kader al-Sharabi, a member of the Saudi-backed forces supporting the Yemeni government.
Both said the rebels had seized control of the al-Shaqira area, an important supply route connecting the city of Taiz, the provincial capital, and other inland areas to Yemen’s western coast.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces launched airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements west of Taiz, they added.
Clashes also continued along Yemen’s western coast, particularly in the direction of the southern part of the key port city of Hodeida, where the Houthis launched drones in the Hais district, located in the southern part of the province, al-Mawazi and al-Sharabi said. The fighting has taken place near crucial supply routes.
Two children are killed in a Gaza strike
Two children were among the dead after Israel carried out a new strike in the northern Gaza community of Beit Lahiya, according to Shifa hospital, where the bodies were taken.
The strike killed a husband and wife, alongside their two daughters, aged 8 and 12.
“There is nothing that can justify Israel attacking this home,” said Zuheir al-Heisami, a neighbor of the family, at the hospital. He said the strike happened at around 2 a.m. “These were two children and their parents that were killed while they were asleep.”
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike early Thursday, but a new statement said its forces on Wednesday struck Hamas weapons storage facilities in three areas across Gaza.
Israel's military in the past has said it carries out strikes in response to threats against its forces under the fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October.
Houthis claim Saudi-backed forces strike again
Al-Masirah TV, controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, claimed that Saudi-backed forces launched 40 airstrikes in recent hours in Taiz, Jawf, Hodeida and Marib provinces.
The AP couldn’t independently verify the Houthis' claim as fighting with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has heightened this week. There was no immediate comment from the government forces.
Warnings have been growing about a major escalation as the Houthis clash with Yemeni government forces while also attacking oil facilities and utilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
The fighting puts further pressure on global oil shipments. The Houthis have been targeting shipping and infrastructure that help keep oil flowing through the Red Sea, while the U.S.-Iran war has limited shipments through the Strait of Hormuz on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula.
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This story will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.