Saudi-backed Yemeni forces claim control of Bab el-Mandeb Strait - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government have launched a major offensive against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on the country's Red Sea coast. (AP: Abdulnasser Alseddik)

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces claim they have secured the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait as part of a major offensive.

The Iran-backed Houthis deny the advance has been so far-reaching. 

The UN says about 184,000 people have been displaced since the war resumed amid the the US-Iran conflict.

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces claim they have secured the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait as part of a major offensive underway against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on the country's Red Sea coast.

The vital waterway which facilitates about 12 per cent of global trade was seized by the Houthis last month, which pushed up global prices and raised new risks in the region.

Spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki said more than 100 fighter jets had been deployed on Monday and “air protection” of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait had been secured.

Government forces have advanced rapidly along the coast to seize key positions in the Dhubab area on the narrowest point of the strait.

The offensive came as the rebels said they had captured more territory in the south-western part of Yemen, seizing the town of Turbah on Sunday and advancing towards the city of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.

The Houthis have denied that government forces made gains, describing such claims as "completely untrue", and they threatened to attack any aircraft flying in Saudi airspace.

Fighting has raged in Yemen for weeks after a dormant civil war erupted again over the US-Iran conflict with the Houthis seeking to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and firing missiles and drones at Saudi cities and infrastructure.

A sponge factory in Sanaa was damaged on Sunday. (AP: Osamah Abdulrahman)

On Sunday, the Yemeni government announced the launch of its offensive to recapture territory, with President Rashad al-Alimi swearing to fight "until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia".

The Yemeni government said it had attacked hundreds of targets in Yemen and had begun operations on several other fronts, including the capital Sanaa.

The Houthi-run health ministry said two people had been killed and seven wounded in strikes on Sanhan and Sa'wan districts in Sanaa province.

The UN says about 184,000 people had now been displaced since the war resumed.