Yemen: Fighting between Government forces and Houthi rebels outside Sanaa leaves at least 30 dead
Fighting has intensified outside the Yemeni capital, killing at least 30 people in two days, security officials and tribal elders said Tuesday.
Some 25 fighters from both sides were killed in clashes between government forces and Shi’ite rebels and their allies some 65 kilometers east of Sanaa, they said, adding that five civilians were also killed when artillery shells hit residential areas.
Yemen has been torn apart by conflict since 2014, when Shi’ite Houthi rebels allied with troops loyal to a former president and captured large swaths of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.
A Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign against the rebels in March 2015. Since then, more than 5,800 people have been killed. More than 80 percent of Yemenis are in dire need of food, water and other aid, according to the United Nations.