Loyalists advance in Yemen’s Aden

Loyalists of Yemen’s exiled president seize more ground Aden as they press their biggest fightback yet against Iran-backed rebels buoyed by their recapture of the airport.

The offensive, dubbed Operation Golden Arrow, is the first major advance by the loyalists since Shiite Houthi rebels entered the port city in March, forcing President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi into exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Popular Resistance fighters — a southern militia that has been the mainstay of support for Hadi — recaptured the provincial government headquarters in the Mualla district opposite Aden’s main commercial port, militia spokesman Ali al-Ahmadi tells AFP. They also advanced in Aden’s Crater downtown district, where a presidential palace is located, amid heavy fighting, he adds.

— AFP