By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA

Six Houthi rebels were killed fighting army troops in Yemen’s central Al-Bayda province on Monday, according to a local official.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency by phone, Mossad al-Salahi, general director of Al-Bayda’s Nati directorate, said army troops and pro-government “popular resistance” forces had opened fire on a Houthi patrol with rocket launchers.

“The ambush resulted in the death of six Houthi rebels,” al-Salahi said, going on to note that the Nati directorate had recently seen fierce artillery exchanges between government forces and Houthi rebels.

He did not provide any more details.

Houthi spokesmen, for their part, have yet to confirm the official’s assertions.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since 2014, when the Shia Houthis overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, forcing the Saudi-backed government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden. 

The conflict escalated one year later when a Saudi-led coalition began a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains