Nearly 70 killed in fresh Yemen fighting

Airstrikes and heavy clashes between rebel and pro-government forces in Yemen killed at least 66 people in 24 hours, medics and security sources said on Sunday.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

22 January, 2017

Nearly 70 were killed in 24 hours of fighting [Getty]

Nearly 70 fighters were killed in a fresh round of clashes in Yemen, security sources said on Sunday.

At least 52 Houthi rebels died in Saudi-led coalition air raids while at least 14 pro-government fighters were killed in the ongoing battle near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, which connects the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Clashes have erupted in the Bab al-Mandab area in recent weeks as pro-government forces continue to battle Houthi rebels as they attempt to retake cities along the Red Sea coast, including Mokha.

Forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by an international coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia, are fighting Ansar Allah - Houthi troops - who are backed by Iran and pledge allegiance to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

At least 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's ongoing civil conflict since the Saudi-led coalition began its military intervention in March 2015, the majority in coalition airstrikes.

The Houthis overran the capital Sanaa and other parts of the impoverished country in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab military coalition to intervene six months later in support of Hadi.