Armed conflict in Yemen has flared up again, killing at least 16\ngovernment soldiers in a massive assault launched by the Houthi group in\nHodeidah governorate. The bloody incident, confirmed by local officials\nand medical teams, is the fiercest clash to occur in recent years.<\/p>\n
Fierce fighting erupted in the Jabal Dabbas area along Yemen\u2019s\nwestern coast. Military sources stated that Houthi militias launched a\nsurprise attack on Friday night and managed to seize government\ndefensive positions, before pro-government forces mounted a\ncounter-offensive to reclaim their posts on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
Medical sources reported that hospitals along the Red Sea coast\nreceived the bodies of 16 pro-government soldiers and treated 22\nwounded. The majority of the fatalities were from the Tihama region and\nwere serving on the front lines.<\/p>\n
A military officer from the government forces described the attack as\nthe Houthis\u2019 deadliest operation in years, noting that the militia\ndeployed snipers who were primarily responsible for the soldiers\u2019\ndeaths, before bombarding the defensive positions with drones and\nmortars.<\/p>\n
\u2018This is the deadliest Houthi attack in years,\u2019 the pro-government\nofficer said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not\nauthorised to address the media.<\/p>\n
Despite the multi-pronged assault, another military official\nconfirmed that government forces ultimately repelled the Houthi attack\nafter several hours of intense fighting. The military confirmed that the\nHouthi group also suffered significant losses, although the exact number\nof militia casualties was not detailed.<\/p>\n
\u2018The soldiers died defending their land and honour,\u2019 wrote Walid\nal-Qudaimi, a minister of state and member of the internationally\nrecognised Yemeni cabinet, on his official X account.<\/p>\n
The Houthi group has been waging an armed insurgency against the\nlegitimate, internationally recognised government of Yemen since 2015.\nThe rebel group currently controls the capital Sanaa and most of\nnorthern Yemen, including the strategic port city of Hodeidah. The\nYemeni government was forced to relocate its operational centre to Aden\nand maintains control over much of the south. Front lines had largely\nbeen frozen since a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement in 2022, but\nsporadic escalations of violence continue to occur along maritime and\nland borders. This latest deadly clash came shortly after the Houthis\nissued an open threat to attack airports and vital facilities in Saudi\nArabia, the main backer of the Yemeni government.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/civil-war-in-yemen-pro-iran-houthi-group-attacks-army-16-killed-1783349550", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }