Army repulses twin Houthi attacks in Yemen's Taiz

By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA (AA) - The Yemeni army on Tuesday repulsed two attacks by Houthi militiamen on military sites in the southwestern Taiz province, according to a local military source.

"The Houthis shelled residential areas of Taiz city before attacking nearby military positions,” Colonel Abdul Basset al-Bahar, a spokesman for the Yemeni army in Taiz, told Anadolu Agency by phone.

The attacks were ultimately repelled following fierce clashes between the two sides, al-Bahar said without providing injury or death tolls.

Anadolu Agency was unable to obtain immediate comment from Houthi spokesman regarding the army’s claims.

Yemen has remained dogged by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains and shoring up Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.