Yemen: 23 rebels killed in army preemptive action

By Said Ibicioglu

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - At least 23 rebel Houthis and three Yemeni army soldiers were killed in clashes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Saturday.

According to information from Yemeni security sources, the Yemeni army carried out preemptive action against Houthi rebels preparing to attack military points in the Nihm district.

The Yemeni army announced that they had repulsed Houthis attacks in the Al-Bayda province.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014 when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Since then, tens of thousands of Yemenis are believed to have been killed and injured in the conflict, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

* Writing by Davut Demircan