Houthi infiltration attempts foiled in Yemen: Govt forces

Aden, Dec 13 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The Yemeni government forces said that they have repelled three infiltration attempts by the Houthi group in the country’s southwestern province of Taiz, killing two militants and wounding several others. The Taiz Military Axis, representing government forces, issued a statement condemning the continued Houthi escalation of hostilities, which includes targeting civilians and military installations of the government in Taiz, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the statement, government forces thwarted three separate infiltration attempts by the Houthi group during the past hours. Houthi artillery positions that were responsible for shelling residential neighborhoods in Taiz city and its western countryside were also targeted by government troops. The latest confrontation follows recent Houthi drone attacks on government positions in the Dhubab area west of Taiz and bombardments of residential areas controlled by government forces, according to the statement. Yemen has remained in a fragile calm since October 2, 2022, when the government and the Houthi group failed to extend and expand a UN-brokered truce. Despite diplomatic efforts over the years, neither side has shown willingness to revive negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict, which, according to UN estimates, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and pushed millions to the brink of famine. —