At Least 5 Houthis Killed In Clashes With Yemeni Gov't Forces In Western Province

Armed forces loyal to the Yemeni government have repelled an attack by the Shia rebel Houthi movement in the country's west and killed at least five of them, the military's press center has said

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2020) Armed forces loyal to the Yemeni government have repelled an attack by the Shia rebel Houthi movement in the country's west and killed at least five of them, the military's press center has said.

"The Houthis conducted an attack on army's positions in the district of At Tuhayta, in the south of Al Hudaydah [province]. The joint forces were waging fierce fighting against the Houthis, during which they managed to inflict heavy losses on [the rebels]," the press center said late on Sunday.

At least five Houthi rebels were killed, and dozens were injured during clashes with the government forces, the center added.

The government troops thwarted Houthis' attempt to advance to the north of At Tuhayta district, the center said.

The movement, in turn, has accused the government forces of "conducting 61 ceasefire violations in Al Hudaydah over the past 24 hours.

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Earlier in the day, a Yemeni military source told Sputnik that the group had launched violent attacks against the country's army in the province of Marib.

In response, the Saudi-led coalition, which supports the government troops, conducted around 14 air raids, targeting the movement's positions and reinforcements. Both sides suffered heavy losses during the clashes, according to the source.

Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthi rebels for several years now. The Arab alliance led by Saudi Arabia has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.