Yemeni army captures Houthi positions in Saada

By Ali Oweida

MAARIB, Yemen (AA) - The Yemeni army on Wednesday said it had retaken several Houthi positions in the northern Saada province following clashes between the two sides, Yemen’s official SABA news agency reported.

“The national army Wednesday morning carried out a surprise attack on Houthi positions in Saada’s Al-Katf directorate,” SABA quoted Army Brigadier-General Obaid al-Athala as saying.

“The army managed to liberate the Tal Ajjaj, Khushm Adhyaq and Al-Barq al-Ahmar regions in Al-Katf’s Al-Atfin area,” he added.

Al-Athala went on to assert that the clashes between the two sides had resulted in human and material losses among Houthi ranks, estimating the Houthi death toll in the dozens.

Anadolu Agency was unable to obtain immediate comment from Houthi spokesmen.

In recent months, clashes have sporadically broken out between the Yemeni army and Houthi militants that have left hundreds dead and injured from both two sides.

Yemen has been wracked 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 -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy force -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks held in Kuwait failed to produce any tangible breakthroughs.

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