File photo: Yemeni Army soldiers patrol a street in Mansoura District
Yemeni government forces reportedly made new military gains east of the capital Sanaa on Tuesday after deadly clashes with Houthi rebels, according to a military spokesman.
Military forces captured Al-Bayadh mountainous area in Nahm district, east of Sanaa, after driving Houthi rebels out of the area, Lieutenant Colonel Saleh al-Qutaibi told Anadolu Agency.
A leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on Tuesday unveiled an initiative aimed at halting all military activity in the war-weary country.In a Tuesday tweet, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the group’s so-called Supreme Revolutionary Commission, reiterated calls for a “political solution” to the almost four-year-old conflict.“Our initiative would include instructions from Yemeni official parties [in reference to Houthi institutions] to halt all military and naval operations for a specified, renewable period,” he said.Al-Houthi voiced hope that a Saudi-led military coalition -- cobbled together in 2015 to fight the rebel group -- would reciprocate, “if they really want peace for the Yemeni people”.The Yemeni government, which is currently headquartered in the coastal city of Aden and which is closely supported by the Saudi-led coalition, has yet to issue a formal response to the proposal.The government, however, has previously said it would not negotiate with the rebel group until the latter surrendered the strategic Red Sea port of Al-Hudaydah.While the Houthis have rejected the notion of a unilateral withdrawal from Al-Hudaydah, they have nevertheless voiced their readiness to accept a supervisory role by the UN over the seaport.Earlier this month, UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths proposed a plan by which the Houthis would pull out of Al-Hudaydah after which Yemeni police and UN observers would fill the vacuum.In June, Yemeni government forces -- backed by the Saudi-led coalition -- launched a wide-ranging operation aimed at retaking Al-Hudaydah and its strategic seaport from the rebels.But the United Arab Emirates, a leading member of the coalition, later announced a pause in the operation in hopes of persuading the Houthis to voluntarily leave the coastal province.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when the Shia Houthis overran much of the country, including Sanaa, forcing the country’s pro-Saudi government to take up residence in Aden.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including health and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.
Yemen’s Houthis propose ceasefire initiative
According to the spokesman, 17 rebels were killed and three military vehicles damaged during the violence.
No information was available about casualties among government forces.
There was no comment from the Shia Houthi group on the claim.
Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa.
A leading member of Yemen’s Al-Islah party survived an assassination attempt Tuesday in Yemen’s coastal city of Aden, according to a local source.Aref Ahmed Ali was injured when an improvised explosive device laden to his car exploded in Mualla city, the source, who preferred to remain anonymous due to security concerns, said.His son had lost one of his legs in the explosion.High-ranking Yemeni spy assassinated in YemenAt least 36 Houthi rebels killed in Yemen clashesAli is the secretary-general of the Doctors and Pharmacists Syndicate in Aden. He had been previously arrested in March before he was released two weeks ago.No group yet has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack.On Sunday, Colonel Nasser Makrij, a former intelligence officer, was assassinated outside his house in Aden, the current seat of the Yemeni government.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
Party leader injured in Yemen's Aden attack
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including health and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.