Yemen rebels inflict deadliest casualties in years

Yemen's protracted conflict has seen one of its deadliest clashes in recent years, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a devastating attack that killed 14 Yemeni government soldiers and wounded 23. The intense fighting occurred in the Jabal Dubas area of Hays, south of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

According to Yemeni military officials, the assault began late on Thursday, with the rebels briefly seizing a position held by pro-government forces. Government troops counterattacked and recaptured the territory by Friday dawn. One official described the Houthi tactics, stating that snipers inflicted most of the casualties before drones and mortar fire were deployed.

Another military official corroborated the casualty figures, confirming the deaths of 14 soldiers and the repulsion of the Houthi forces after hours of engagement in the Hays region. While the official acknowledged that the Houthis also sustained casualties, specific numbers were not provided.

The ongoing civil war, which has raged since 2015, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis. Although a truce agreement in 2022 largely halted the widespread fighting, the country remains divided. The Houthi movement controls the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north, including the western port of Hodeidah, while the internationally recognized government governs most of the south.