ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 18 (Xinhua/GN) – Fighting intensified in Yemen on Tuesday, as Houthi forces launched missile and drone attacks on government-held areas, while government forces stepped up retaliatory strikes against Houthi positions, marking a widening exchange of fire across several fronts.
The pro-government Aljoumhouriya TV reported that a Houthi missile, struck Al-Khawkhah district in the western Red Sea province of Hodeidah, killing three people.
Aljoumhouriya TV also reported that a Houthi missile, landed in the Al-Jufainah camp for displaced people in the northeastern oil-rich province of Marib, with no casualties reported.
Separately, emergency forces affiliated with Yemen’s government said air defences, had downed an explosive-laden Houthi drone, as it approached Al-Thaniyah military camp in Marib on Tuesday.
As Houthi attacks continued, government forces announced a broader military response on Tuesday, saying they had carried out 133 operations against Houthi positions and personnel across multiple front lines over the previous 24 hours.
Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the government forces, said in a statement posted on social media platform X that army units used rocket launchers, artillery and drones, to target Houthi positions and military capabilities.
The escalation followed recent Houthi missile and drone attacks on government-held areas in Yemen, including targets in the Red Sea port city of Mocha and the oil-rich province of Marib, as well as oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
A UN-brokered truce that took effect in April 2022, expired six months later without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire has largely held until the recent escalation.
The Houthi group announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping last month and has since claimed attacks on Saudi tankers.
GNA