Yemeni army says 8 soldiers killed by Houthi rebels

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Eight Yemeni soldiers were killed by Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to the military on Saturday.

A military statement said the fatalities occurred in attacks by Houthi rebels over the past two days despite a UN-brokered truce between the warring rivals.

According to the statement, nine soldiers were also injured in rebel attacks on positions of the Yemeni army.

The statement documented what it said 188 violations of the truce by Houthi insurgents over the past two days.

There was no comment from Houthi rebels on the accusations.

Last month, Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to extend a UN-brokered truce for two additional months. Under the ceasefire, which was first reached on April 2, all military operations were halted. The agreement also allowed the operation of commercial flights from rebel-held Sanaa Airport in the Yemeni capital.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa. The Houthis remain in control of the capital, as well as wide swathes of territory, despite a military campaign conducted by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies since 2015 aimed at ousting them and restoring the Yemeni government.

The Saudi-led campaign has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation in the war-torn nation. Millions suffer from hunger amid persistent famine-like conditions.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara