Over 100 killed in Yemen clashes

As many as 100 people have been killed in violent clashes that erupted between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi militia in different areas of the country in the past 24 hours.

Sanaa:Violent clashes erupted between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi militia in different areas of the country in the past 24 hours, claiming the lives of more than 100 people, according to a military official.

The official told Xinhua news agency that "the escalating fighting rocked a number of areas in the country's southwestern province of Taiz, and other battles heavily intensified in the oil-rich province of Marib" on Saturday.

Read:23 dead as Houthis and Yemen forces clash

"The Houthis continued to carry out all-out military operations against the government-controlled areas in Marib and Taiz in an attempt to achieve new military progress."

He said that nearly 60 fighters of the Houthi militia and 36 soldiers of the government forces were killed within the past 24 hours in Marib's intense fighting.

The fighting also left dozens of injured affiliated with the two-warring sides in the turbulent areas of Marib, according to the official.

Supporting the government forces on-ground, warplanes of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition continued to launch air raids against the Houthi-held sites in Marib.

Read:20 dead as Yemen's Houthis step up military ops

The Houthi group announced that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition carried out more than 26 airstrikes, but gave no details about casualties.

A government official told Xinhua by phone that "the areas located in Taiz's eastern part and other areas in the city's countryside are witnessing violent battles between the two sides".

He said that a number of Houthi shells landed on the government-controlled residential neighbourhoods, causing casualties among civilians.

The local official confirmed that Taiz's fighting left about 12 people killed and 15 others injured.

Read:Dozens killed as Yemeni forces and Houthis clash

The Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been locked in clashes with the Iran-allied Houthi military in the north, east and west of Taiz since April 2015.

Yemen has been mired into a civil war since late 2014, when Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.

IANS