UPDATE - Army claims to capture Houthi positions in NW Yemen

UPDATES WITH REPORTS OF MIDI’S RECAPTURE

By Mohamed al-Samie and Murat al-Arifi

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Pro-government forces on Tuesday retook the city of Midi, regional capital of Yemen’s northwestern Hajjah province, after fierce clashes with Houthi rebels, according to a Yemeni government official.

“Army forces, supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, have succeeded in liberating Midi from Iranian-backed Houthi militiamen,” Information Minister Muammar al-Iryani tweeted on Tuesday evening.

For the third consecutive day on Tuesday, coalition-backed army forces continued operations aimed at “liberating” Houthi-held parts of Hajjah province.

The fighting, which was still underway as of midday Tuesday, had left “dozens” of Houthis dead or injured, according to statements released by the army.

Houthi spokesmen, for their part, have yet to confirm or deny the army’s claims.

For the last three months, the Yemeni army had imposed a siege on Midi while engaging in sporadic clashes with Houthi fighters elsewhere in Hajjah.

Impoverished Yemen has remained dogged by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.

The ongoing violence has devastated Yemen’s public infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as one of “the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.