Monitoring Desk
SANAA: Seven Houthi rebels were killed Monday in clashes with government forces in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province, according to the official SABA news agency.
SABA, citing a military source, said clashes broke out between the two sides in al-Dabab district in western Taiz in which five rebels were killed.
Two other rebels were killed in an ambush set by government forces in Maqbanah district west of the province, the agency said.
The claim could not be independently verified.
Yemen has fallen into civil war in 2014, when the Shia Houthi militia overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, forcing the internationally-recognized government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains and shoring up the Yemeni government.
WAM adds: Yemeni troops are continuing to advance towards Al-Hays in the coastal province of Hodeida, heavily backed by Arab Coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia.
The UAE Air Force has provided cover for the troops, cutting the supply line of the Iranian-backed Houthi coup militias between Taiz and Hodeidah, south of Al-Hays.
The forces are advancing towards farms adjacent to a line between Hays and Taiz.
UAE forces have secured the road, cutting the supply route of the Houthi-Iranian militias and capturing dozens of militia personnel while regaining control of a number of villages in the region.
A number of tanks and military vehicles were also captured.
