8 Houthi fighters killed in clashes in Yemen’s Taiz

Eight members of the Houthi group were killed and 15 others wounded Tuesday in clashes with Yemeni government forces in Taiz province, a military source said Wednesday.

The Yemeni Armed Forces' media center said in a statement on US social media company X that government forces thwarted a Houthi attack in the Al-Safa area of the Kalabah front, northeast of Taiz city in southwestern Yemen.

The attack was repelled following heavy clashes involving various types of weapons, resulting in casualties and equipment losses among the Houthis, it added.

The statement did not provide further details on the condition of those wounded or whether government forces suffered any casualties.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the statement.

Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014.

Since late 2023, following the start of the Gaza genocide, the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, launching attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.