Government forces gain ground in Yemen’s Bayda

Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA: Government forces have captured strategic sites in the central al-Bayda province from Houthi rebels, according to a government official.

Army forces seized control of two mountainous areas in Nati’ directorate in the province, Mosaad al-Salehi, head of the local authority in the directorate, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

He said the captured areas overlook a major military Houthi camp in al-Bayda province.

“Five rebels were killed in clashes with government forces in the directorate,” al-Salehi added. No casualties were reported among government forces.

There was no comment from the Shia Houthi group on the claim.

Yemen has been racked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country. The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains. The ongoing violence has devastated basic services, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation in Yemen as one of “the world’s worst humanitarian disasters in modern times”.  (AA)