Main entrance of Aden is seen after airstrikes launched by the Saudi-led coalition, in Yemen, on Aug. 29, 2019. Airstrikes launched by fighter jets of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition targeted on Thursday a military convoy of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces near the southern port city of Aden, a security official told Xinhua. (Photo by Murad Abdo/Xinhua)
ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Airstrikes launched by fighter jets of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition targeted on Thursday a military convoy of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces near the southern port city of Aden, a security official told Xinhua.
The security source said on condition of anonymity that "around three airstrikes targeted a military convoy of the government forces that was heading to participate in fighting near Aden."
The airstrikes destroyed the armored vehicles vehicles, leaving around 25 killed and several others injured in the outskirts of Aden, he said.
The source added that the warplanes intervened to prevent the government forces from advancing militarily toward Aden.
But local sources of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighting the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in the outskirts of Aden denied that the airstrikes were launched in the area.
A military official told Xinhua that "our soldiers used modern missiles and successfully struck a convoy of the forces belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islah party."
He said on condition of anonymity that "the missiles attack resulted in killing and injuring dozens of soldiers who came from the northern Marib province to invade Aden militarily."
Meanwhile, Yemen's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called upon "Saudi and its wise leadership to stand by the legitimate government and stop this unlawful and unjustified military escalation by the southern separatists."
The ministry also "condemned the airstrikes of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched on government forces in Aden and Zinjibar, which have resulted in deaths and injuries including troops and civilians."
It added in a brief statement posted on Twitter that "we hold the UAE full responsibility in this illegal blatant attack."
Earlier in the day, units of the security forces loyal to the Aden-based STC seized a key town in Yemen's southern province of Abyan.
A local source said that "several armored vehicles of the STC forces were deployed in the neighborhoods of Jaar after expelling the government forces from the town."
Forces of the STC completely secured neighboring Aden after aborting a large-scale military operation launched on Wednesday by the Yemeni government to retake the strategic southern city.
Aden is almost entirely under the control of the STC forces that are also allied to the Saudi-led coalition in the fighting against the Houthis.
Considered as Yemen's temporary capital, Aden is where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has based itself since 2015.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces including the capital Sanaa.
