AFP, as the Iran-backed group reported around 40 fresh airstrikes by Saudi forces over recent hours in the governorates of Taiz, Hodeida, Al-Jawf and Marib. The Houthis, who control much of northwest Yemen, launched a large-scale offensive last week against government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, and have also struck Saudi territory, wounding dozens. Witnesses said Houthi fighters entered Mokha chanting "death to America, death to Israel." The military source added that they were advancing toward the Bab al-Mandab strait after taking the city, and had also seized Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea following rocket attacks and a boat-borne ground assault. Bab al-Mandab links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal, gaining importance since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz during the wider Middle East war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Yemen slid back into war in July after years of relative calm. More than 500 people, mostly combatants, have been killed since last week, per an AFP tally, while the International Organization for Migration says nearly 20,000 have fled their homes. On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis fired ballistic missiles and drones at southern Saudi cities, prompting brief civil defence alerts in Khamis Mushait and Abha. The July renewed hostilities began when the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land despite Saudi control of Yemeni airspace; the government retaliated by striking Sanaa airport, which the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia. The exchanges risk reviving a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The Houthis fought a Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. (Bssnews)