Home Latest News Saudi Air Strikes, Clashes Kill 21 in Aden

Saudi Air Strikes, Clashes Kill 21 in Aden

by AFP
Sanaa, July 2. Mohammed Huwais—AFP

Sanaa, July 2. Mohammed Huwais—AFP

Yemen death toll stands at 2,600, according to the U.N.

Saudi-led air strikes and clashes in Aden killed 13 Shia Houthi rebels and eight pro-government fighters on Friday, according to military sources.

War planes struck Houthi positions in the north of Yemen’s port city, killing six fighters, after fighting killed seven rebels and eight soldiers loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, the sources said. The clashes followed Houthi advances in west Aden backed by renegade troops that saw the rebels take control of a military base late Thursday. Fighting continued around the base Friday. Rebel shelling of several residential neighborhoods overnight killed at least five people, including a child, said Al-Khader Laswar, the city’s health chief. Another 89 civilians were also wounded.

In neighboring Abyan province, five rebels were killed in an ambush and a further eight were killed in a similar incident in Taez, Yemen’s third city, according to witnesses.

War planes struck several Houthi positions in their northern stronghold province of Saada, witnesses said, as well as the residence of a senior Houthi official in Sanaa.

The jets also struck Houthis in the northern Hajja province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against rebels in Yemen in March, after the Houthis seized control of much of the country and encroached on Aden, where Hadi had taken refuge before fleeing to Riyadh.

Peace talks last month in Geneva between representatives of the exiled government and the Houthis failed to settle the deadlock. More than 2,600 people have been killed in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country since March, according to U.N. figures.

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