Yemen: Rebels intensify attacks in southern city of Taiz
Yemen’s Shiite rebels intensified attacks against pro-government forces on Saturday in the southern city of Taiz, as they pushed to seize a strategic mountain and landmark positions in the city ahead of scheduled peace talks, security officials said.
The fighting in Yemen’s third-largest city left 14 people dead and 27 wounded, with the toll including both fighters and civilians, said the officials, who remain neutral in a conflict that has splintered security forces.
The conflict in Yemen pits the rebels known as Houthis and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against southern separatists, local and tribal militias, Sunni Islamic militants and loyalists of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The conflict has killed more than 4,000 people, leaving the Arab world’s poorest country in the grip of a humanitarian crisis and on the brink of famine.