Pro-govt forces, Houthis lock horns in Yemen’s Taiz

By Mohamed al-Samei

TAIZ, Yemen (AA) - Fierce clashes and artillery exchanges erupted Thursday between pro-government forces and Shia Houthi militiamen in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz, according to a spokesman for the Yemeni military.

“Several army positions near Taiz’s Republican Palace came under Houthi attack on Thursday, leading to violent clashes,” Colonel Abdul Basset al-Bahr, an army spokesman, said in a statement.

“Ultimately, the attacks were repulsed,” al-Bahr added, noting that at least one Yemeni soldier -- along with an unspecified number of Houthis -- had been killed in the melee.

According to the army spokesman, Thursday’s clashes coincided with fierce artillery exchanges between the two sides, in addition to airstrikes against Houthi positions carried out by a Saudi-led coalition.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have waged a massive air campaign against Yemen’s Houthis, who in 2014 overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

According to UN officials, more than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date.