Yemen PM Khaled Bahah returns to Aden from exile

Yemen's exiled prime minister, Khaled Bahah, arrived Saturday in Aden, four months after Iran-backed rebels forced his government to flee the southern city.

He is the highest-profile Yemeni official to visit Aden since Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to exiled President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi regained the port city from Houthi rebels more than two weeks ago.

Bahah, who is also Hadi's deputy, arrived in Aden aboard a Saudi plane that also carried other government officials from Riyadh. 

Their return is aimed at preparing the city for the full restitution of the government, which has been in exile in neighbouring Saudi Arabia since March.

"The prime minister's return is a prelude to the government's work in Aden," the government spokesman, Rajeh Badi, told Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya from Aden.

He did not say if Bahah will stay in the city, which has been devastated by fighting between Hadi loyalists and opponents in the past four months. 

After his arrival, Bahah toured hospitals in Aden, according to local journalists.

Aden's recapture marked the biggest setback for the Houthis, who still control large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sana'a, and who are supported by Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran.

In March, Saudi Arabia and fellow Sunni partners launched an air campaign in Yemen after the mostly Shiite rebels advanced on Aden, the power base of Hadi, and forced him to flee the country.

Hadi, a Sunni, lives in Saudi Arabia.

Emboldened by Aden's recapture, Hadi's loyalists, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have in recent weeks pushed back the rebels in several areas of southern Yemen.

A main government-allied militia, calling itself the Popular Resistance, said on Saturday its fighters were advancing on Zinjibar, the capital city of the southern province of Abyan.

"Armed confrontations are raging between the Houthis and the Resistance in Zinjibar. The Resistance men are trying to fully liberate the city," a local militiaman said. 

No casualties were reported.

Pro-government media said that Hadi's loyalists have already retaken Lauder, a main city in Abyan.

Abyan borders the province of Lahj where Hadi's loyalists, backed by coalition warplanes, have for more than a week now been trying to regain control of the al-Anad airbase from the Houthis and allied military troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Al-Anad is the rebels' launch pad in southern Yemen.