Experts from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) visited the Bab al-Mandeb region to study the installation of radars nearby and oversee tunnel excavation works in the mountainous hills overlooking it, two Houthi military sources told AFP on Saturday. The sources stated that the Iranian experts working with the Houthis visited the Bab al-Mandeb region, the port and airport of Yemen’s Mokha, and the Jabal Al-Nar camp east of Mokha. They added that the experts oversaw tunnel excavation works in the mountainous hills overlooking Mokha and Bab al-Mandeb, and discussed the process of installing radars near Mokha and inside Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea. The sources said that the experts came from Hodeidah, which held by the Houthis, and carried out separate visits between Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile, Yemeni government sources told AFP on Saturday that battles had intensified between the Iran-backed Houthis and government forces around the Kahboub mountain region overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb area. The conflict in Yemen has been experiencing a sharp escalation since July, against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East between Iran and the United States.
