8 Yemeni soldiers killed in country's south: Army

Eight Yemeni soldiers were killed in the southern province of Lahj, the army announced late Saturday, amid continued fighting with the Houthi group.

The army-affiliated Tur al-Bahah Military Axis said in a statement that the soldiers were killed on the al-Maqatirah front in Lahj province.

The statement provided no further details and there was no immediate comment from the Houthis.

Earlier Saturday, Houthi shelling killed three civilians, including two women, and injured five others in separate attacks in neighboring Taiz province, according to a government office.

The developments came amid a military escalation that began in July, the most significant since a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce that took effect in April 2022.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.