Yemen's Houthis free 159 pro-govt fighters under amnesty

Yemen's Houthis on Saturday announced the release of 159 pro-government fighters under an amnesty announced after they seized swathes of land in a major offensive last month.

The prisoners had "voluntarily surrendered themselves without fighting" as the Iran-backed group captured strategic positions along the Red Sea, Houthi official Abdelqader al-Murtada told a press conference in Sanaa.

The Houthis' war with the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government reignited in July, triggering attacks on Saudi oil shipments and other targets including airports.

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the unilateral release of 159 prisoners and said it had given support by organising interviews and health checks, contacting families and helping arrange transport.

Murtada said 323 prisoners were released under the amnesty last month after surrendering in Hodeidah governorate.

The Houthis seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, forcing out the government and sparking a brutal war that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis.

An uneasy, four-year truce collapsed in July, months into the US-Iran war.

Last Saturday, Houthi strikes killed 13 people at Riyadh airport -- the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.