Yemeni Vice President General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar (C) shakes hands with army officers as he visits military barracks in the eastern city of Marib on August 15, 2016.

Yemeni vice president General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar inspected military units in the Baqim front in the northwestern province of Saada, Al Arabiya.Net reported on Wednesday.

Forces allied to the internationally-recognized Yemeni government seized control of a strategic Red Sea port on Monday after waging an assault against Shiite militias.

Ahmar said he was determined to raise the Yemeni flag in all parts of the country, including the mountains of Maran – the Houthi stronghold in Saada.

Mokha, one of Yemen’s oldest ports, is seen as a weapons lifeline to the militias and their allies – who control the capital, Sanaa, and much of the northern region.

A Saudi-led military coalition is backing the government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and seeking to restore him to power.

The assault on Mokha aims at securing the entire western coastline including the ports of Hudaydah and al-Saleef – which the northern region depends on for imports of basic food necessities and which the coalition also believes are main transit points for weapons coming from Iran.

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