03 June 2018•Update: 04 June 2018
By Mohamed Fahd
SANAA
At least 70 Houthi rebels were reportedly killed on Sunday in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition and clashes with government forces in western Yemen.
Coalition fighter jets and artillery struck rebel positions and gatherings in Yemen’s western coast, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The agency said the attacks have forced the rebels to flee, leaving their weapons behind.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces were reportedly advancing in Al-Hudaydah province toward the airport and the strategic seaport in the area, WAM said.
Government forces have managed to capture 21 rebels during operations in Al-Hudaydah, it said.
There was no comment from the Shia Houthi group on the claim.
Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as Iranian proxies -- launched a massive campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
The violence has devastated Yemen’s basic infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.
