At least 65 killed in Yemen after Saudi-backed pro-government forces pushed offensive against Houthi rebels

Sanaa, December 27: At least 65 people were killed in the fresh airstrikes and clashes erupted in different parts Yemen after the Saudi-backed pro-government forces pushed an offensive against Houthi rebels on Monday.

 

Notably, Saudi-backed pro-government forces conducted airstrikes and killed at least 18 of the Iran-backed rebels in Hais area which is south of the key port of Hodeida. On the other side, heavy bombardments from gunships by Saudi-led coalition left 35 others dead in nearby locality of Tahita.

However, during this offensive and clashes, 12 government troopers were also killed and 19 others were injured. Unfortunately, during the clashes, seven members of the same family including women and children were killed in an airstrike that was done by a Saudi-led coalition.

Importantly, Saudi-led coalition forces have already seized the town of Khokha earlier this month and have been advancing along the Red Sea coast. The aim of the Saudi-led coalition is to reach Hodeida, Yemen's second largest port and a key entry point for aid to the country, which the UN has warned faces ‘the largest famine the world has seen for many decades’. But the Saudi-led coalition has met strong resistance from the Shia-Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and most of northern Yemen.

Fighting and air raids have intensified since December 19, when Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis towards the capital Riyadh. The UN human rights office said it had tallied 136 civilians killed and another 87 wounded in strikes on Sanaa, Saada, Hodeida, Marib and Taez governorates between December 6 and 16.

BACKGROUND:

More than 8,750 people have been killed in the conflict since the coalition's intervention in the impoverished country, where more than 2,000 people have also died of cholera this year.