By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA

Yemeni government forces reportedly made new military gains east of the capital Sanaa on Tuesday after deadly clashes with Houthi rebels, according to a military spokesman.

Military forces captured Al-Bayadh mountainous area in Nahm district, east of Sanaa, after driving Houthi rebels out of the area, Lieutenant Colonel Saleh al-Qutaibi told Anadolu Agency.

According to the spokesman, 17 rebels were killed and three military vehicles damaged during the violence.

No information was available about casualties among government forces.

There was no comment from the Shia Houthi group on the claim.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including health and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.