Over 60 killed in escalation in Yemen

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 13.48

 

Traffic in Yemen's capital Sanaa. The billboard shows Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi calling for battle. The picture was taken on August 18. Photo: Osamah Abdulrahman/AP/TT

Deadly fighting has broken out between Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-backed Houthi movement.

More than 60 people have been killed in southwestern Yemen as forces from the two sides clashed on Saturday.

According to three Yemeni military sources, 26 soldiers were killed, AFP reports. According to the Houthi movement, more than 30 of its fighters were killed.

In the government-controlled city of Taiz, six civilians were reportedly killed in a rocket attack, according to medical sources there.

The Houthi movement took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014 and has since expanded and consolidated its power. In parallel with the Iran war and recurring attacks on Saudi Arabia, deadly fighting has flared up again between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Houthi movement.