At least 90 killed as govt-Houthi fighting escalates in Western Yemen

Aden (Yemen): At least 40 Yemeni government soldiers and 50 Houthi fighters have been killed in fierce fighting across the country’s western frontlines since Thursday, medical officials told Xinhua news agency on Friday.

A medical official on the Red Sea coastal front in Hodeidah province said 14 government soldiers have been killed in fighting there since the Houthis launched a large-scale offensive early Friday.

Separately, another medical official on the front in the neighbouring Taiz province said 26 government soldiers have been killed in clashes that began Thursday and continued into Friday.

Meanwhile, medical sources in Houthi-controlled areas said hospitals in Hodeidah have received the bodies of at least 50 Houthi fighters killed on the Hodeidah and Taiz fronts, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The escalation intensified on Friday as both sides sent more troops, armoured vehicles and equipment to the two fronts, according to military sources.

The latest escalation marks some of the heaviest ground fighting in western Yemen in recent years, raising concerns of a broader return to large-scale hostilities after years of relative calm across many of the country’s frontlines.

On Monday, Yemeni government forces said they had intercepted four explosive-laden boats operated by the Houthi group as they attempted to approach government-held islands near international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

The state-run Saba news agency, citing a military source, reported that the boats attempted to approach the strategic Hanish Islands and Zuqar Island before being intercepted by government naval forces.

The source said further movements of Houthi boats were detected at different times on Sunday and Monday as they attempted to approach the islands, which overlook key international shipping routes in the southern Red Sea.

Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has intensified across several fronts in recent weeks. The government forces stepped up drone and artillery strikes on Houthi positions, while the group launched missile and drone attacks on government-held areas in Marib and along the western Red Sea coast.

IANS