Yemen: Eight Houthis killed in fighting with government forces, rebel media says

Eight fighters from Yemen’s Houthi rebels were killed in battle with government forces, media linked to the rebel group reported Wednesday.

The fighters’ funeral was held in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, in the presence of the Iran-backed Houthis’ military leaders and security officials, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.

Two high-ranking officers were among the dead, and another five were lieutenants.

The fighters were killed while "performing their duty defending [their] homeland", Saba reported.

Fighting between Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels has flared up again since the two sides failed in October to renew a UN-brokered truce.

Amid a UN push to renew the agreement, the Houthis have said that they hope to reach a permanent ceasefire if certain conditions are met.

The war in Yemen began in 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized Sanaa from the internationally-recognised government. One year later, the Saudi coalition led a military intervention in support of the government.

The years-long conflict has resulted in the death of thousands of Yemenis - as well as a severe shortage in food, water and medicine, causing what aid groups have described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

A commission monitoring rights violations in the country said at least 447 civilians were killed since the start of 2022, with breaches committed on both sides.