Houthis claim new gains as Yemeni troops launch major offensive (VIDEOS)

Saudi-backed forces are seeking to retake territory seized by the Iran-backed group last month Yemen’s civil war has intensified, with the internationally recognized government announcing a military operation aimed at retaking territory captured last month by the Iran-backed Houthis.The Houthis, a Shiite armed group, continued their own offensive, reportedly seizing more towns in southwestern Taiz province near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.In a televised speech on Sunday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said the government had ordered “military operations to restore the remaining territory of the republic and extend state authority nationwide.”The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Major General Turki al-Maliki, said the coalition would continue supporting Yemeni government forces. Saudi Arabia first intervened in the civil war in 2015 after the Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, the previous year.Houthi-aligned media reported later on Sunday that the group had captured the town of Turbah and the districts of Shamayatayn and Samea, as well as the Taiz-Aden road.NEW: Footage of the Houthis driving through the city of Al-Turbah in Yemen...