Dozens killed in clashes between Houthis and government forces in fresh Yemen escalation

Clashes between Yemen’s Houthis and government forces have killed 81 combatants since Thursday. (Photo/AA)

Clashes between Yemen’s Houthis and government forces have killed 81 combatants since Thursday, according to government military officials and reports coming from Houthi-held areas.

A military official on the Red Sea coast said 24 of his men had been killed, while another official in the inland Taiz region reported 15 deaths. Medical sources in areas controlled by the Houthis said at least 42 Houthis had also been killed.

The fighting erupted on Thursday after Houthi forces launched a ground assault backed by rocket and drone attacks near the Red Sea coast and around Taiz.

Government military sources told AFP the Houthis were seeking to cut off the key port city of Mokha from other government-held areas. The city has come under fire for weeks.

The sources said the Houthis were also attempting to advance towards areas bordering the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Renewed fighting destabilises Yemen

Yemen has been embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed government.

In July, Yemen became the latest country to be drawn into the wider Middle East war after the Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the government.

The renewed fighting threatens to further destabilise Yemen, where previous efforts to maintain the truce had helped reduce the intensity of the conflict.

The latest clashes have centred on areas near the Red Sea, a strategically important maritime route through which a significant share of global trade passes.

The death toll figures could not be independently verified.

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Source: TRT