TEHRAN - A senior Yemeni official said the Saudi-led troops have been doing their best to take control of Bab al-Mandab, but to no avail.

"The Saudi-led troops are conducting military operations with the support of the international intelligence services because Bab al-Mandab is highly-important for the US and its regional ally Israel," a senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told FNA on Tuesday.

He, meantime, reiterated that the Yemeni navy has threatened to drown more Saudi-led vessels in Bab al-Mandab region.

The Yemeni commander reiterated that the battle with the Saudi-led forces have intensified in Dhubab and al-Mukha regions, and said, hundreds of forces loyal to former fugitive Yemeni President Mansour Hadi who enjoyed the aerial support of the UAE and Saudi fighter jets were killed in both regions.

He said that the Yemeni army and popular committees have also repelled a massive military operation by pro-Hadi troops aimed at advancing in Dhubab region near Bab al-Mandeb.

In a relevant development on Monday, the Yemeni army continued its advances in Sana'a, Yemen, killing tens of Saudi-backed militias in tough battling.

"At least 70 Riyadh-backed militants have been killed in fierce clashes with the Yemeni forces in Yam mountain in Sana'a region in the last two days," a local military source said.

The Saudi-hired mercenaries intended to penetrate into the Yam mountainous region in the Ninth district of Sana'a, but they faced the lethal resistance of the Yemeni forces.

The Saudi-backed militias have failed to advance in any important region in Sana'a after more than two years of war against the poorest Arab nation in the world.

In a relevant development on Saturday, the Yemeni army and popular forces' missile units pounded and destroyed several military bases of the Saudi army in Jizan province in the Southern part of the kingdom.

The Yemeni forces' missile attack destroyed al-Qarn and al-Farizeh military bases in Jizan province, killing and injuring several Saudi troops.

Moreover, the Yemeni forces also destroyed al-Mo'anaq military base in Northern Qufeir region in Jizan province.

In Najran province, the Yemeni forces also destroyed several tanks of the Saudi army in al-Sadis military base as well as the gathering centers of Saudi troops on al-Hamr military base.

The Syrian army and popular forces hit hard the military equipment of the Saudi army in Bin Laden and al-Khoba military bases, destroying several military vehicles of the Saudi army in Sarfah military base in Jizan province.

Also on Saturday, Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, launched an operation against militiamen loyal to the resigned and Saudi-backed president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, in the country’s Southwestern province of Ta’iz, killing more than a dozen of them.

15 Saudi mercenaries were killed and 18 others sustained injuries when Yemeni forces thwarted their assault against the Dhubab district of the province, an unnamed military source told the Arabic-language al-Masirah television network early on Saturday.

The source added that three vehicles belonging to the Saudi mercenaries were also destroyed.

Earlier, the media bureau of the operations command in Yemen published pictures showing the aftermath of a rocket attack by Yemeni forces against a position of pro-Saudi armed men in an area of Sirwah, which lies about 120 kilometers East of Sana’a.

Four Saudi-sponsored militiamen were killed and several others injured on Friday evening, when Yemeni soldiers and Popular Committees fighters lobbed a barrage of artillery rounds at their gathering in the Thua'bat area of Salh district in Ta'iz province.

(source: farsnews)