Shafaq News- Sanaa

Yemeni government forces said Monday they had taken control of the city of Mokha in western Taiz Province and launched attacks on Houthi positions in the Dhubab district overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The armed forces also announced that they had carried out 1,122 precision strikes against Houthi targets, claiming that 1,747 members of the group had been “neutralized.”

Earlier in the day, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi announced the launch of an operation called “Dawn of Yemen” to restore state institutions, “liberate the capital Sanaa and end the coup of the terrorist Houthi militias.” Government forces said they had also begun a “strategic attack” on Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.

The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television channel reported dozens of Saudi airstrikes on Saada Province in northern Yemen.

A military source cited by Saba, the Houthi-controlled news agency in Sanaa, rejected reports of government military advances, saying claims promoted by channels supporting the Saudi-led side were false and had no basis.

The National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, affiliated with the Houthi authorities, accused Saudi-backed forces of “killing prisoners from the armed forces,” and described the alleged acts as a war crime.

Saba also reported Saudi airstrikes on telecommunications infrastructure in the Katuf and Al-Buqaa districts.

The Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, cited by Saba, urged civilian airlines to consider Saudi airspace unsafe, except for the airspace over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

A military source also reported that Saudi-backed forces had been expelled from the Al-Maafir and Al-Mawaset districts in Taiz Province.

Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out dozens of attacks, including strikes on civilian areas and residential neighborhoods in several provinces.

Meanwhile, a US official told Al Jazeera that Washington was providing Saudi Arabia with support to counter Houthi attacks, including planning assistance, intelligence sharing and aerial refueling.

The official said Saudi Arabia was using US aerial refueling capabilities to defend its airspace and support forces opposing the Houthis.

“About 200 US advisers were providing assistance at Saudi planning centers,” the official said, adding that they were helping Saudi forces conduct targeting operations more efficiently and effectively.

The official said US forces were not directly involved in the war in Yemen and had no separate objectives there.