Houthi forces in Aden pull back

Houthi forces pulled back from positions in central Aden after air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition at dawn on Thursday, residents of the southern Yemeni port city said.

They said a unit of Houthi and allied fighters, who had advanced in tanks and armored vehicles through Aden's Khor Maksar district 24 hours earlier, pulled back, although they remained in parts of the neighborhood, according to Reuters.

The Houthis' recent gains in Aden, the last major foothold of supporters of Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, have happened despite a week of air strikes by Saudi Arabia and a coalition of mainly Sunni Arab allies in Yemen.

In the Arabian Sea port city of Mukalla, 300 miles east of Aden, soldiers loyal to Hadi clashed on Thursday with militants suspected of being al Qaeda fighters, residents said.

Residents also reported air strikes overnight on the coastal town of Shaqra, which is under Houthi control and lies on the coast between Aden and Mukalla.

On Wednesday, at least 19 people were killed in clashes near Khor Maksar between Houthi fighters and local militia, and Hadi's foreign minister Reyad Yassin Abdulla appealed for more effective international action to halt the Shia, Iran-allied fighters before they take over the city entirely.

The Houthis, with vital support from army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, emerged as the dominant force in Yemen after they took over the capital Sanaa six months ago and they now control much of the Arabian Peninsula country.

The alliance of mainly Arab Gulf states had bombarded rebel positions in the port city in a seventh night of raids that also targeted the capital Sanaa and other areas.

The coalition has also attacked the Houthis from the sea but their advance towards the southern port city, the last major stronghold of Hadi supporters, has been relentless.

Al Jazeera with wire services