Local fighters and army units backed by Yemen's exiled government have taken control of Tawahi, the last district of central Aden held by the Iran -allied Houthi militia and its allies, a spokesman for the fighters said yesterday.
Assisted by Saudi-led air strikes, local forces broke months of stalemate last week by seizing the airport and moving into other parts of Aden held by the Houthis and forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Late yesterday a car blast outside a mosque used by the Houthis in Sana'a killed five people and injured seven others, police sources and medics said, and was swiftly claimed by the local branch of Islamic State.
Yemen’s chaos has given more opportunities to Sunni Muslim jihadist groups, who have consolidated their hold over eastern parts of the country and regard the Houthis, who mostly belong to the Shia Zaydi sect, as heretics.
Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen's war on March 26th in a bid to stop Houthi and pro-Saleh forces taking Aden, the last city nominally controlled by exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government, and to restore him to power in Sana'a.
The Saudis fear their main regional adversary Iran will use its alliance with the Houthis to project power into Yemen. – (Reuters)